COMMODORE   VANDERBILT. 


THE    VANDERBILTS 


THE  STORY  OF  THEIR  FORTUNE 


W.   A.   GEOFF UT 

AUTHOR   OF    "  A   HELPING   HAND,"   "  A   MIDSUMMER   LARK,"   "  THE 
BOURBON   BALLADS,"  "  HISTORV   OF   CONNECTICUT,"  ETC. 


CHICAGO   AND   NEW   YORK 

BELFOED,  CLAEKE  &  COMPANY 
Publishers 


C97/ 

73 


COPTRIGHT,  18S6,  BY 

BELFORD,  CLAEKE  &  COMPANY. 


TROWS 

PRINTING  AND  QOOKBINDING  COMPANY, 

NEW  YORK. 


PEEFAOE 


This  is  a  history  of  the  Yanderbilt  family,  with  a  record 
of  their  vicissitudes,  and  a  clironicle  of  the  method  bj 
which  their  wealth  has  been  acquired.  It  is  confidently 
put  forth  as  a  work  which  should  fall  into  the  hands  of 
boys  and  young  men — of  all  wdio  aspire  to  become  Cap- 
tains of  Industry  or  leaders  of  their  fellows  in  the  sharp 
and  wholesome  competitions  of  life. 

In  preparing  these  pages,  the  author  has  had  an  am- 
bition, not  merely  to  give  a  biographical  picture  of  sire, 
son,  and  grandsons  and  descendants,  but  to  consider 
their  relation  to  society,  to  measure  the  significance  and 
the  influence  of  their  fortune,  to  ascertain  where  their 
money  came  from,  to  inquire  whether  others  are  poorer 
because  they  are  rich,  whether  they  are  hindering  or 
promoting  civilization,  whether  they  and  snch  as  they 
are  impediments  to  the  welfare  of  the  human  race.  A 
correct  answer  to  these  questions  will  solve  half  of  the 
problems  which  most  eagerly  beset  this  generation. 

This  story  is  an  analogue  of  the  story  of  all  American 
successes.  When  Commodore  Yanderbilt  visited  Europe 
in  1853  at  the  head  of  his  family,  he  seemed  to  defy 
classification.  He  was  apparently  neither  lord  nor  com- 
moner,    lie  was  too  democratic  for  a  errandee :  too  self- 


871456 


IV  PREFACE. 

poised  for  a  plebeian.  He  was  untitled,  but  his  3'acht 
surpassed  in  size  and  splendor  the  ocean  vehicles  of 
monarchs.  No  expense  was  too  great  to  be  indulged, 
no  luxury  too  choice  to  be  provided,  but  he  moved  mod- 
estly and  without  ostentation,  with  the  serene  compos- 
ure of  a  prince  among  his  equals.  There  were  wealthy 
English  citizens  who  could  have  afforded  a  similar  out- 
lay, but  they  would  have  been  sneered  at  and  charged 
with  pretentiousness  and  vanity,  with  aping  customs 
rightly  monopolized  by  the  nobilitj-.  They  would  have 
been  rated  as  snobs,  cads,  upstarts,  and  would  have  been 
twitted  with  their  humble  origin,  as  if  an  impi'ovement 
of  one's  condition  were  a  reproach  instead  of  an  honor. 

But  the  cruising  Commodore  came  from  a  land  where 
prevalent  conditions  and  not  antecedents  are  considered  ; 
Avhere  a  coat-of-arms  is  properly  regarded  as  a  foolish 
affectation  ;  where  a  family's  "descent"  is  of  no  impor- 
tance, and  its  ascent  of  all  importance  ;  whei'e  the  M'heel 
of  fortune  runs  rapidly  around  and  every  man  is, not 
only  permitted  bnt  required  to  stand  for  what  he  is. 

So  when  William  11.  Yanderbilt  erected  for  himself 
a  palace,  and  enriched  it  with  an  art  collection  more 
valuable  than  any  private  gallery  in  Great  Britain,  the 
English  found  it  impossible  to  think  of  him  as  he  was — a 
quiet  citizen,  despising  parade  and  display — and  the  Lon- 
don Spectator  said  when  he  was  dead:  "•  lie  occasionally 
flaunted  his  wealth  in  a  uiaimer  a  Roman  noble  could 
not  have  exceeded.  He  gave  an  entertainment,  it  is 
said,  one  day  last  year  at  which  his  guests  ate  off  gold 
laid  upon  fine  lace,  the  wines  cost  thousands,  and  flowers 
were  brought  from  the  Southern  States  at  an  expense  of 
£4,000."     And  the  editorial   inventor  went  on  to  an- 


PREFACE,  V 

iiounce  that  the  host  on  tliis  occasion  "  was  accused  of 
giving  each  journalist  among  his  guests  a  thousand-dol- 
lar note  tied  up  in  his  napkin,  in  order  that  his  magnifi- 
cence might  be  reported  in  detail."  This  from  one  of 
the  most  cautious  and  conservative  journals  in  England  ! 
The  British  mind  apparently  cannot  conceive  of  a  man 
who  has  made  a  hundred  million  dollars  and  yet  is  not 
a  pompous  vulgarian  filled  with  "  the  pride  that  apes 
humilitv." 

America  is  the  land  of  the  self-made  man — the  em- 
pire of  the  parvenu.  Here  it  is  felt  tliat  the  accident  of 
birth  is  of  trifling  consequence  ;  here  there  is  no  "  blood  " 
that  is  to  be  coveted  save  the  red  blood  which  every 
masterful  man  distills  in  his  own  arteries  ;  and  here  the 
name  of  parvenu  is  the  only  and  all-sufficient  title  of 
nobility.  So  here,  if  nowhere  else  in  the  world,  should 
such  a  dominant  man  without  hesitation  or  apology 
assume  the  place  to  which  he  is  entitled,  in  commerce 
or  the  industrial  arts,  in  professional  life  or  society. 

A  wealthy  man  is  as  much  in  the  public  eye  and  as 
much  an  object  of  popular  intei'est  as  a  successful  gen- 
eral, a  famous  inventor,  a  great  poet,  or  a  distinguished 
statesman,  and  an  opulent  family  is  the  focus  of  much 
legitimate  and  respectful  curiosity.  Xeither  Stephen 
Girard,  John  Jacob  Astor,  nor  Alexander  T.  Stewart  is 
a  familiar  personage  to  this  generation,  because  there 
is  no  complete  narrative  of  their  lives,  thoughts,  and 
methods,  telling  how  they  acquired  their  money,  and  to 
what  purpose  they  lived.  Traditions  there  are,  in  abun- 
dance, and  rumors  and  myths,  largely  discreditable  ;  but 
the  real  men  are  not  known,  and  probably  never  will  be. 
Yet  a  rich  man,  if  only  because  he  possesses  the  rare  gift 


VI  PREFACE. 

of  money-getting  and  money-keeping,  and  the  skill  and 
wisdom  that  are  a  part  of  it,  is  necessarily  one  of  the 
most  interesting  figures  of  his  generation.  In  this  is  a 
sufficient  justification  for  the  preparation  of  this  work. 

Acknowledgment  is  gratefully  made  to  Chauncey  M. 
Depew,  Isaac  P.  Chambers,  Dr.  Jared  Linsly,  Thomas 
C.  Purdy,  Robert  Bonner,  E.  H.  Carmick,  Dr.  Fuller- 
Walker,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Deems,  for  valuable  information, 
and  to  Mrs.  Frank  Leslie  and  Harper  &  Brothers  for 
illustrations. 


C0:?^TE1^TS 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

Ancestors 1 

The  Dutch  Emigrants — Men  Self-made  or  not  Made  at  all — 
Distinguislied  Examples — Aris  on  Long  Island— Jacob 
goes  to  Staten  Island — The  Moravians — Jacob's  Son  and 
Grandson— Thrifty  but  Unambitious— The  Fruit  of  the 
Family  Tree. 

CHAPTER   II. 
Boyhood  and  Poverty 10 

His  Father  and  Mother — The  Humble  Home — Avoiding 
School — Fun  and  Hard  Work — Wants  to  be  a  Sailor — 
Earns  a  Periauger — Ready  for  Business  at  Sixteen. 

CHAPTER   III. 
Youth  and  Ambition 19 

Sails  his  Boat  on  the  Bay — Fare,  Eighteen  Cents — Makes 
$1,000  a  Year— Sturdy,  Abrupt,  and  Honest — In  War 
Times— Beats  Van  Duzen — Marries  at  Nineteen. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Steamboat  and  Tavern 27 

Abandons  Sails  for  Steam— New  York  to  New  Brunswick — 
Fight  with  a  Monopoly — Dodging  the  Sheriff — Making 
his  Point — Large  Profits — Pluck  and  Enterprise. 

CHAPTER  V. 
Home  and  Children 37 

His  Return  to  New  York  Harbor — Residence  in  the  City — 
A  New  House  on  Staten  Island — His  Three  Sons — Stern 
Management — William  11. 's  Exile  to  New  Dorp. 


Till  CO^s^TENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER   VI. 
From  Steamboats  to  Steamships 43 

,  Running  Steamboats  in  all  Directions — To   California   via 

/  the  Isthmus — Worth  Ten   Million    Dollars — A    Yachting 

Cruise  to  Europe — A  Line  Across  the  Atlantic — The  Mails 
— Lending  a  Vessel  to  the  Government. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

TwEXTT  Tears  a  Farmer 57 

William  at  New  Dorp,  Staten  Island — The  Farm — Energy 
and  Economy — The  Seat  on  the  Fence — A  Mortgage  and 
Consequent  WVath — "  Four  Dollars  a  Load" — A  Spurt  on 
the  Road — A  New  House— The  Farm  Pays. 

CHAPTER   VIII.     - 
William's  Apprenticeship 66 

The  Staten  Island  Railroad — Its  Ruin  and  Regeneration — 
Death  of  Cap'ain  George  —  An  Obedient  Son  —  New 
Schemes. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Harlem  Corner 71 

1         Into  Railroads — Harlem  at  3 — Buying  to  Keep — Public  Sym- 

\j  pathy — Aldermen  Set  a  Trap — Get  Caught — Six  Rules  of 

Management — The    Legislature    in   Trouble  — Harlem    at 

285 !  — Fights  and  Conquers  the    Central — No  Sympathy 

Needed. 

CHAPTER   X. 

The  Erie  War 86 

The  Commodore  Covets  Erie — Daniel  Drew"s  Little  Game 
— The  Vanderbilt  Party  Buys — Drew  and  Gould  Sell  Short 
— Drew's  Duplicity — Fisk  Throws  100,000  Bogus  Sliares 
upon  the  Market — Dodging  the  Sheriff — Flight  to  Jersey 
— Surrender  and  Restitution. 

CHAPTER   XI. 
Trophies  of  Victory 98 

Twent3'-five  JMillion  Dollars  in  Five  Years — William's  Way — 
i  Consolidation  Succeeds — Freight  Depot  on  St.  John's  Park 

^J  — Dedication  of  the  Commodore's  Monument,  the  Bronzes 

— Watering  Stock — What  is  It,  and  Whom  does  it  Rob  ? 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGF 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Habits  and  Charactek 106  _^ 

Methods  of  Work — Location  in  Various  Years — Keeping  Ac- 
counts in  His  Head— Punctuality— Close  at  a  Bargain— 
Wliist  after  Dinner— Tells  a  Story  of  His  Mother— Death 
of  His  Wife. 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Family  Matters 114 

His  Grandchildren— Cornelius,  Jr.,  and  William  K.  at  Work 
— The  Thorn  in  the  Flesh — Horace  Greeley — "  Cornele's 
Wife  " — The  Commodore  Marries  at  Eighty — His  Wife's 
Influence. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Father  and  Son 123 

Buying  New  Roads  Westward — Building  the  Grand  Central 
Depot — William  H.'s  Office  Habits — Overwork — A  Glance 
at  His  Mail — A  Good-natured  Pessimist — The  Complacent 
Commodore. 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Thr  Commodore's  Charities 131 

His  Opinion  of  Beggars — The  Way  He  Gave — Careful  about 
Money — Meets  Dr.  Deems — Gives  the  Church  of  the 
Strangers — The  Tennessee  University. 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
Death  of  the  Commodore 142 

Taken  111  at  Eighty-two — Great  Public  Interest — The  Vigi- 
lant Newspapers — Rej^orters  Besiege  the  Invalid — Death 
after  Eight  Months— A  Simple  Funeral— The  Will. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
The  Commodore's  Successor 148 

Industrious  and  Prudent — Compromises  with  Foes — Deal- 
ing with  Laborers— Contest  of  the  Will — The  Quarrel 
Ended — Generosity  and  Human  Nature — Accurate  Biisi- 
ness  Habits. 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XVni. 
The  Mansion 155 

Tlie  Stj'le  and  Cost — Six  Hundred  Workmen  and  Sixty 
Sculptors — Description  of  the  Rooms— The  Vestibule — 
The  Picture  Gallery — Hoping  to  Live  There  Ten  Years — 
Leaves  in  Five. 

CHAPTER   XIX. 
The  Art  Gallery 163 

Modern  French  Art— Best  Collection  in  the  World— A  Good 
Investment — Mr.  Yanderbilt's  Tastes  and  Fancies — His 
Visits  to  Artists — Abuse  of  Hospitality. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Vaxderbilt  Family 175 

Captain  "Jake" — His  Wealth  and  Habits — His  Children — 
The  Sisters  of  William  H.— His  Widow  and  Children— 
Their  Homes  and  Families. 

CHAPTER   XXL 
Social  Position 190 

What  is  Good  Society  ?— Our  Plutocracy— Mrs.  W.  K.  Yan- 
derbilt's Great  Ball — Preparations — The  Guests — The  Cos- 
tumes— The  Display. 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

Horses  and  Stables 198 

Love  for  Horses — Fondness  for  Fast  Teams — Excellent  Ama- 
teur Driver — Perils  of  the  Road — MaudS. — Summer  Rec- 
reation— The  Derby — His  Stables — Resigns  the  Reins. 

CHAPTER   XXIII, 

William  H.  Yanderbilt's  Donations 206 

His  Method  of  Giving — The  Tennessee  University — The  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons — The  Grants — Minor 
Gifts— The  Obelisk— Public  Ingratitude. 


CONTEISTTS.  xi 

PAGK 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 
The  Mausoleum 213 

Original  Design  Rejected — Too  Grand — Moravian  Thrift — 
The  Site  Secured — Tlie  Plan  Adopted — A  Romanesque 
Tomb — Granite,  Limestone,  and  Bronze — The  Interior — 
Allegorical  Sculptures. 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
Closing  Labors 219 

Sensitive  to  Public  Opinion — Relinquishes  His  "Monop- 
oly"— Fifty  Millions  in  Government  Bonds — Resigns  His 
Presidencies  —  Letter  to  Associates — "The  Public  be 
Damned  !  "' — Succeeded  by  His  Sons— Working  Westward 
— Acquiring  the  Nickel  Plate — Letter  on  Freight  Dis- 
criminations— On  Labor — To  Grover  Cleveland. 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 
W.  H.  Vanderbilt's  Death 231 

Worry  and  Anxiety — His  Declining  Health — Morning  of 
the  Last  Day — At  Ward's  Studio — Conference  with  Mr. 
Garrett — Paralysis  and  Quick  Death — Effect  on  the  Public 
Mind — Simple  and  Inexpensive  Funeral — The  Vault  at 
New  Dorp — Home  Again. 

CHAPTER   XXVIL 
The  Will j 239 

Two  Hundred  Million  Dollars  given  Away — The  Great  Bur- 
den Distributed — Widow,  Children,  and  Relatives  well 
Provided  for — The  "  Residue"  of  a  Hundred  Millions — 
Charities — The  Testator's  Purposes  and  Dreams. 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

Estimate  of  His  Character 248 

Temperate  Habits — Abstemious — Domestic — Tribute  of  the 
Directors — Opinions  of  Jay  Gould  and  Russell  Sage — 
Letter  to  Matthew  Riley — A  Much-abused  Man— Fond 
of  Opera — The  Student  Waiters — The  Undelivered  Apple- 
jack. 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  Sons  and  their  Heritage 264 

The  New  Residences — Cornelius  and  William  K.  Vander- 
bilt — Theii-  Public  Trusts  and  Private  Character  — A  Nota- 
ble Present — Law-abiding  and  Self-restraining — Compari- 
son of  the  Central  with  other  Roads — Reduction  of  Pas- 
senger and  Freight  Charges. 

CHAPTER   XXX. 
Some  Reflections  About  It 269 

Commercial  Philanthropy — Promiscuous  Charity — Do  the 
Yanderbilts  Possess  their  Money  '? — The  Envious  and 
Malevolent — Can  a  Man  "Earn  a  Million  Dollars?" — 
Brain  and  Brawn — The  Genealogy  of  Civilization — Re- 
productive Wealth. 

APPENDICES. 

Appendix  A 277 

Appendix  B 279 

Appendix  C 280 

Appendix  D . .  286 

Appendix  E 293 

Appendix  F 294 

Appendix  G 298 


THE    VANDERBILTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ANCESTORS. 


The  Dutch  Emigrants — Men  Self-made  or  not  Made  at  all — Dis- 
tinguished Examples — Aris  on  Long  Island — Jacob  goes  to 
Staten  Island — The  Moravians — Jacob's  Son  and  Grandson — 
Thrifty  but  Unambitious — Tiie  Fruit  of  the  Family  Tree. 

A  GENERATION  Or  two  after  tlie  Hudson  River  was  dis- 
covered and  the  bold  explorer  who  gave  liis  name  to  it 
liad  perished  in  tlie  Arctic  seas,  the  Vanderbilts  came 
with  the  early  Knickerbockers  to  the  Western  World. 
They  settled  on  New  York  Bay  because  it  seemed  like 
their  home  in  the  Low  Countries — the  same  wash  of 
the  aggressi ve  wave,  the  same  stretch  of  indented  shore, 
different  only  in  its  peaceful  aspect.  Holland  is  always 
besieged  by  an  alert  and  sleepless  foe.  Inheriting  the 
savage  conflict  from  generation  to  generation,  the  garri- 
son has  thrown  up  huge  fortiiications  a  thousand  miles 
long,  stronger  than  Gibraltar  or  the  dykes  which  wail 
in  the  great  harbors  of  France ;  for  many  centuries 
they  have  slept  on  the  battle-field,  weapon  in  hand  and 
armor  on,  never  relaxing  vigilance,  never  beguiled  by  a 
treacherous  flag  of  truce.     The  incessant  combat  has 


3  THE  VAISTDERBILTS. 

made  them  a  robust,  patient,  abstemious  and  obstinate 
people.  Marp  :tisan  :five  hundred  years  ago  the  weary 
fight-began"  i't'wlH'  continue,  undiminished  in  ferocity, 
five  :  liiindred  j^e^rs'  hence.  The  foe  is  the  sea ;  his 
ailies,  the  rivers  and  tlie  lakes. 

Manhattan  Island  had  won  the  alluvial  battle  centu- 
ries before  and  was  at  peace.  The  array  of  observation 
had  ceased  to  countermarch  along  the  parapet,  and  had 
exchanged  its  weapons  for  implements  of  luisbandiy  ; 
so  the  fugitives  from  the  Holland  conflict  found  it  a 
grateful  and  restful  camping-gi-ound. 

The  founder  of  the  wealth  of  the  Vanderbilts,  known 
to  New  Yorkers  for  half  a  century  as  "the  Commo- 
dore," was,  like  almost  all  men  of  unusual  vigor  and 
personal  power,  a  rustic  of  humble  oi-igin.  Few  boys 
born  in  homes  of  luxury  ever  greatly  increase  their 
wealth  or  attain  a  leading  position  among  men.  The 
dominating  and  over-mastering  qualities  are  nurtured  in 
poverty  and  grown  in  hardy  soil.  Nine-tenths  of  all 
the  citizens  of  the  metropolis  who  have  acquired  con- 
spicuous influence  in  manufactures,  commerce,  litera- 
ture, or  professional  life,  have  been  born  and  reai^ed 
afar  in  farming  districts,  and  have  been  thrown  upon 
their  own  resources  from  their  very  earliest  years.  In 
this  country  men  are  either  self-made  or  not  made  at 
all.  Parental  nursing  and  coddling  seem  to  be  en- 
feebling in  their  effect  on  boys  :  they  make  the  muscles 
flabby  and  the  energies  inert.  "  Young  man  ! "  said 
Henry  Ward  Beecher,  the  greatest  preacher  of  our  days, 
"if  you  are  poor,  thank  God,  and  take  courage  ;  for  lie 
has  given  you  a  chance  to  be  somebody  !  "  The  young 
learn  the  value  of  money   only  from  needing   it  and 


SELF-MADE   MEX.  3 

earning  it  bj  liard  work.  Abstinence  is  the  mother  of 
conipetence;  self-denial  the  cradle  of  wealth. 

Peter  Cooper  wandered  hither  from  Peekskill,  and 
worked  joyously  and  faithfully  for  $25  a  year  and  his 
board.  Cyrus  W.  Field  descended  from  the  sterile 
liills  of  Berkshire,  and  served  A.  T.  Stewart  as  office- 
boy,  at  $2  a  week.  Horace  Greeley  migrated  from  the 
wilds  of  Xew  Hampshire.  The  founders  of  the  house 
of  Harper  were  Long  Island  farm-boys,  and  they  came 
to  the  city  and  paid  $20  a  year  apiece  for  the  privilege  of 
working.  AVilliani  E.  Dodge  and  P.  T.  Barnum  emerged 
from  Coimecticut,  and  began  at  the  lowest  round  of  the 
ladder ;  so  did  George  Law,  for  he  was  a  hod-carrier  in 
Troy.  Russell  Sage  escaped  from  an  Oneida  County 
grocery-store.  Daniel  Drew  was  a  Putnam  County 
plow-boy.  John  H.  Starin  came  from  an  obscure  fam- 
ily in  the  middle  of  the  State.  John  Kelly,  John 
Koach,  Bobcrt  Bonner,  and  A.  T.  Stewart  were  penni- 
less Irish  boys,  and  they  acquired  their  trades  as  they 
could,  in  spite  of  every  impediment.  John  G.  Moore 
rebelled  against  the  fate  of  a  Maine  skipper,  to  which 
he  seemed  destined.  Thurlow  Weed  was  a  printer's 
"  devil."  Thomas  A.  Edison  \vas  a  Michigan  news-boy, 
and  Rufns  T.  Bush  was  a  Michigan  school-teacher. 
Poswell  P.  Flower  was  a  chore-boy  on  a  wretched  farm 
in  Jefferson  County.  F.  B.  Thurber  had  a  similar  ma- 
triculation in  Delaware  County,  and  when  this  large- 
hearted  merchant-millionaire,  then  a  hardy  boy,  was 
hoeing  potatoes  in  Delhi,  Jay  Gould  M-as  still  i)ellows- 
blower  and  clerk  for  a  Eoxbury  blacksmith,  at  $2  a 
week,  only  live  miles  over  the  hill. 

Scratch  a  Xew  1  ork  millionaire  and  you  will  gener- 


4  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

ally  find  a  farm-boy  nnderneatli — a  youth  with  a  strong 
bade  and  resolute  will,  Avith  the  umber  of  toil  on  his 
liands,  and  in  his  heart  the  determination  to  conquer. 
If  Commodore  Yanderbilt  had  been  born  to  a  Valen- 
ciennes christening-robe  and  a  heritage  of  plenty — had 
grown  to  be  a  child  with  a  nursery  full  of  toys,  and 
afterward  a  youth  with  a  pocket  full  of  money,  there 
is  little  chance  that  he  would  ever  have  been  heard  of 
beyond  the  shadow  of  the  Moravian  church.  Xature 
seems  to  begrudge  her  highest  favors  to  all  except  those 
who  walk  through  the  thorny  lane  of  penury,  and  be- 
come familiar  with  her  in  her  capricious  and  hostile 
moods. 

The  early  arrangement  of  the  family  name  Nvas  Yan 
Der  Bilt,  and  they  were  farmei's  for  generations.  Just 
when  the  lirst  immigrant  came  from  Holland  is  uncer- 
tain,* but  he  settled  on  Long  Island  near  Brooklyn.  We 
hear  of  Art  Jansen  Van  Der  Bilt  M'ho  settled  in  Flat- 
bush,  and  was  the  grantee  of  a  considerable  part  of  the 
territory  of  that  town  under  the  Dongan  patent  of  1685. 
Twenty-one  years  earlier  the  English  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  Manhattan  Island,  and  sixty  years  earlier  the 
Dutch  had  bought  it  for  $24,  and  founded  Kew  Am- 
sterdam. Contemporary  with  Art  Jansen — perhaps  his 
brother — was  Aris,  who,  with  his  M'ife  Ililitje,  dwelt  in  the 
same  town.  They  w-orkedhard  to  get  a  living  and  give 
bread  to  a  large  and  growing  bi'ood.  The  family'  seems 
to  have  been  of  some  social  consequence,  for  one  of  theni 
was  an  elder  in  the  church,  and  another  presented  to  the 
religious  edifice  "  a  fine  bell  imported  from  Holland." 

Among  the  children  of  Aris  was  Jacob  Van  Der  Bilt, 
born  January  25,  1602.     In   1715  Jacob  was  accepted 


THE   MORAVIANS.  5 

in  marriage  by  Eleanor*  and  to  set  liiin  np  in  life  his 
father  "sold"  him  a  large  tract  of  land  "at  Staaten 
Island,"  probably  obtained  by  him  from  the  Indians,  for 
this  was  then  a  frontier  settlement.  The  consideration 
given  by  Jacob  is  not  stated,  bnt  thither  he  and  his 
yonng  wife  repaired  and  fonnded  the  Staten  Island 
bi'anch  of  the  Vanderbilt  family.  Dnring  the  next 
thirty  years  eleven  children  were  born  to  them.f 

Abont  this  time  some  of  the  persecnted  followers  of 
John  Ilnss,  called  Moravians,  fled  to  this  country,  and 
a  few  of  them  settled  at  Xew  Dorp.  This  destination 
was  most  natural.  Already  the  beautiful  and  lonely 
island  had  become  the  refuge  of  bands  of  Ilnguenots, 
Waldenses,  and  "Walloons,  who  had  clustered  here  and 
there  in  detached  communities.  So  thither  the  exiled 
Protestants  from  Bohemia  flocked  and  told  their  story 
of  outrage.     The  Van  Der  Bilts  became  converts. 

In  1741  Count  Zinzendorf,  the  founder  and  patron 
of  this  martyr-sect,  having  been  banished  from  Saxony, 
came  to  America,  and  visited,  among  others,  the  little 
community  on  Staten  Island.  It  is  related  tliat  the 
primal  wilderness  was  then  so  untamed  and  xvew  Dorp 
so  diflicult  of  access,  that  he  had  a  long  search  for  the 
place  on  the  wandering  Indian  t]-ails  and  cowpaths.  Tlie 
visit  of  the  illustrious  exile  fired  the  half-dozen  IMora- 
vians  with  uncommon  zeal,  and  the  feeble  church,  of 

*  Called,  in  Dntcli,  Xeilje. 

f  Aiis,  born  February  2,  1716  ;  Dennys,  born  September  5.  1716  ; 
Hilitje,  born  March  22,  1720;  Jacob,  born  January  6,  1723;  Mag- 
delena,  born  December  1,  1725  ;  John,  born  Xovember  15,  1728; 
Cornelius,  born  September  22,  1731  ;  Anna,  born  February'  11,  1734; 
Phebe,  born  April  27,  1737  ;  Anthea,  born  January  31,  1739  ;  Eleanor, 
born  September  13,  1742. 


6  THE   VAISTDERBILTS. 

M'hicli  Jacob  Van  Dei*  Bilt  and  his  wife  and  children 
were  chief  pilhirs,  resolved  to  build  a  ship  to  assist  the 
immigration  of  the  United  Brethren  from  Germany. 
This  missionary  vessel  was  launched  May  29,  IT-tS,  and 
was  in  the  service  of  the  builders  iiine  years.  She 
crossed  from  ISi^ew  York  to  Amsterdam  and  back  twelve 
times,  brino-ino;  each  time  a  freight  of  refugees.  In 
1T57  she  was  captured  by  a  French  privateer  and  driven 
to  wreck  off  Cape  Breton.  In  the  records  of  the  United 
Brethren  at  that  time,  Jacob  Van  Der  Bilt  of  K ew 
Dorp  is  mentioned  as  the  most  active  and  persevering 
member. 

The  religious  services  of  the  Moravians  were  held 
first  in  a  private  residence,  and  then  in  a  school-house 
at  ]S^ew  Dorp,  but  in  1762,  the  Cornelius  Van  Der  Bilt 
'wdiose  birth  has  been  recorded,  joined  liis  neighbors  in 
an  application  to  the  authorities  of  the  church  in  Beth- 
lehem, Pa.,  for  the  construction  of  a  Moi'avian  meeting- 
house and  society  on  Staten  Island.  On  July  T,  1763, 
the  corner-stone  of  the  edifice  was  laid,  and  it  was  con- 
secrated just  before  the  year  closed,  only  to  be  burned  to 
the  ground  by  the  British  soldiery  fourteen  years  later. 

Of  the  liberal  brood  of  Jacob  Van  Der  Bilt,  above 
mentioned,  Jacob,  jr.,  m'Iio  first  saw  the  light  in  1723, 
is  the  only  one  in  whose  personal  fortunes  this  history 
is  interested,  as  he  appears  "•  in  the  line  of  promotion.'" 
He  married  in  due  time  Mary  Sprague  mIio  bore  him 
seven  children,'"  and  these,  during  their  life-time,  learned 

*  Eleanor,  born 1747  ;  Jacob,  born  January  G,  1750  ;  John, 

born  May  9,  1752;  Dorothy,  born  July  29,  1754  ;  Oliver,  born  June 
10,  1757  ;  Joseph,  born  September  G,  17G1  ;  Cornelius,  born  Aiigust 
28.  1764. 


CONTENTED   DRUDGES.  7 

to  economize  bj  uniting  tlie  first  two  syllables  of  the 
family  name  and  writing  it  "Vander  Bilt." 

The  last  of  these,  Coi-nelius,  born  1764,  married  Phebe 
Hand,  and  they,  in  time,  had  nine  children  '-^  born  to 
their  humble  honse.  A  hard  time  they  seem  to  have 
had  snppoj-ting  life  i-espectably  and  keeping  the  family 
together. 

About  this  time  it  was  that  the  Rose-and-Crown 
cottage  was  kept  at  Stapleton  by  one  of  the  Yander 
Bilts,  and  it  is  known  in  Revolutionary  story  as  having 
been  much  frequented  by  British  officers  and  made 
prosperous  by  British  guineas. 

During  this  century  and  a  half,  from  the  coming  of 
Aris  to  the  birth  of  the  stur.dy  "  Commodore,"  Cor- 
nelius, the  hundred  male  members  of  the  family  and 
its  collateral  wings  had  all  been  solid  and  stolid  tillers 
of  the  earth.  They  had  carted  on  the  manure  and 
carted  off  the  rocks.  They  had  rendered  arable  the 
stony  and  fruitful  the  sterile  land.  They  had  pastured 
the  cows  and  milked  them.  They  had  planted  and 
hoed,  ploughed  and  sowed,  drudged  and  delved,  died 
and  been  buried  in  the  town  where  they  were  born. 
The  average  woi-kman  in  the  employ  of  the  Xew  York 
Central  Railroad  to-day  lives  better  and  gets  far  more 
of  the  real  comforts  of  life  than  any  of  the  Yanderbilts 

*  Mary,  born  December  21, 1787,  and  died  August  10,  1845  ;  Jacob, 
born  August  28,  1789,  and  died  October  3,  18U5  ;  Charlotte,  born 
December  29,  1791,  married  Captain  John  De  Forest,  died  January 
5,  1877  ;  Cornelius,  born  May  27,  1794,  died  January  4, 1877  ;  Phebe, 
born  February  19, 1798,  died  young  ;  Jane,  born  August  1,  1800,  and 
became  wife  of  Colonel  Samuel  Barton  ;  Eleanor,  born  January  4, 
1804,  died  April  21,  1833;  Jacob  Hand,  born  September  2,  1807; 
Phebe,  born  February  9,  1810,  died  April  23,  1885. 


8  THE   TAiSTDEEBILTS. 

of  tlie  last  centni-y.  Thev  were  not  nnhappj,  for  tliey 
had  that  contented  mind  which,  the  philosopher  tells 
us,  is  a  continual  feast.  But  the  standard  of  their  ex- 
istence M'as  simple. 

In  the  very  mode  of  life  they  had  adopted,  they 
were  ]3reparing  for  a  colossal  output.  They  were 
practising  an  untiring  industry  and  an  economy  that 
knew  no  bounds.  They  were  M-restling  with  all  the  in- 
describable difficulties  of  a  new  settlement.  They  had 
attached  themselves  to  a  persecuted  church,  and  were 
learning  self-denial  for  the  sake  of  sympathy  and  deep 
religious  feeling.  They  were  delving  in  an  inhospitable 
soil,  and  facing  hostile  elements,  and  inuring  themselves 
to  hardship  and  exposure,  and  thus  getting  the  muscles 
of  steel,  the  unflinching  pluck,  and  the  unconquerable 
will  that  move  and  mould  the  world.  Unconsciously, 
nerve  by  nerve,  and  fibre  by  fibre,  they  were  building 
up  the  man  who  was  to  illustrate  their  name. 

There  was,  indeed,  a  cousin,  John  Yanderbilt,  who 
became  a  member  of  the  Assembly  from  Long  Island. 
But  he  did  not  win  fame.  His  principal  mission  as  a 
legislator  doubtless  was,  to  move  to  adjourn  when  the 
appointed  hour  came  around ;  as  the  local  records  show 
that  he  was  chosen  to  the  office,  not  for  his  probity  and 
ability,  though  he  was  probably  both  talented  and  hon- 
est, but  "because  it  was  his  turne."  The  case  is  too 
ambiguous  to  disprove  the  rule  of  mediocrity. 

Generation  after  generation,  the  Vanderbilts  had  fed 
their  stock  and  tilled  their  tough  acres  and  asked  no 
more.  They  had  stood,  successively,  father  and  son,  on 
the  same  green  hill-side  and  looked  down  the  bay 
through  that  open  gateway,  the  Narrows,  to  the  sea  be- 


THE   COMING   MATST.  9 

yond,  without  desiring  to  occupy  it.  Tlieyliad  glanced 
languidly  up  the  bay  to  the  shining  city  in  the  dis- 
tance without  burning  to  get  a  mortgage  on  it.  They 
liad  gazed  joyously  round  upon  the  opulent  earth  with- 
out resolving  to  own  it.  Indeed,  during  all  these  years, 
the  members  of  this  family  do  not  seem  to  have  cher- 
ished any  ambition  of  any  kind,  except  to  pay  their 
taxes  promptl}-,  go  to  church  regularly,  and  get  to 
Heaven  at  last.     AVith  this  they  were  satisfied. 

The  fruit  of  the  family  tree  was  not  yet  ripe,  but  it  was 
ripening.  The  man  had  not  yet  come  who,  filled  with 
divine  greed,  would  go  forth  on  a  magnificent  crusade  of 
conquest;  who,  inspired  by  personal  avarice,  would  enter 
into  the  commercial  emulations  of  his  time  with  benefi- 
cent results ;  who,  determined  to  be  master,  would  be- 
come pre-eminently  the  servant  of  his  countrymen  ;  who, 
aiming  only  to  push  forward  his  own  interests,  would 
mysteriously  advance  the  interests  of  all,  promoting 
traffic  and  transit,  increasing  the  general  M^ealth  and 
thrift,  and  augmenting  the  universal  comfort  beyond  the 
dreams  of  philanthropy.  Such  a  man,  at  the  end  of  the 
fourth  generation,  made  his  appearance  iu  the  person  of 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt. 


CHAPTER  11. 

BOYHOOD   AND   POVERTY. 

His  Father  and  Mother — The  Humble  Home — Avoiding  School — Fun 
and  Hard  Work — Wants  to  be  a  Sailor — Earns  a  Periauger — 
Readj  for  Business  at  Sixteen. 

Of  the  father  of  Cornelius  we  know  little.  He  had 
no  start  in  life,  as  he  did  not  inherit  even  the  meagre 
patriuionj  ;  for  his  father  and  mother  died  when  he 
was  a  child,  and  the  property  that  existed  was  dissipated 
by  incapable  or  faithless  trnstees.  As  he  grew  to  man- 
hood he  snot  a  livino-  as  he  conld,  assistino;  the  farmers 
at  their  work,  and  sailing  a  boat  up  to  Kew  York  with 
produce.  It  is  alleged  tiiat  he  was  the  first  boatman 
Avho  established  the  habit  of  leaving  his  wharf  near 
the  Quarantine  ground  at  a  regular  time  ever}'  morn- 
ing, and  quitting  ]^ew  Yoj-k  for  home  at  a  uniform  hour 
in  the  afternoon.  Thus  he  became,  to  a  certain  extent, 
the  founder  of  tlie  Staten  Island  Ferry  that  now  carries 
twenty  thousand  passengers  a  daj'. 

He  had  just  succeeded  in  getting  a  few  acres  together, 
when  he  made  his  fortune  by  meeting  and  marrying 
Phebe  Hand,  a  woman  of  i-are  qualities.  She  was  born 
over  in  Rahway,  and  both  of  her  grandfathers  were 
farmers.  Her  uncle.  Colonel  Hand,  fought  at  the  battle 
of  Long  Island.     A   competence  was  left  her  by  her 


THE  commodore's  mother. 


ins    FATTIER    AND    MOTHER.  11 

maternal  grandfatlier,  but  tlie  family  patriotism  in- 
vested it  in  "Continental  Ijonds"  and  it  was  almost 
wholly  lost,  so  she  was  compelled,  as  she  emerged  into 
womanhood,  to  rely  npou  her  own  labor  for  support. 
"When  she  first  became  acqnainted  with  Mr.  Vanderbilt, 
she  was  residing  in  the  family  of  a  clergyman  at  Port 
Richmond,  on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  and  there 
they  married  and  set  np  housekeeping. 

He  seems  to  have  been  an  industrious  plodder,  but 
be  was  not  very  thrifty  or  forehanded.  In  fact,  he  was 
inclined  to  be  improvident  and  to  indulge  in  specula- 
tions that  did  not  terminate  profitably.  They  lived  in 
a  small  house  at  Port  Pichmond.^  More  than  once  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt  saved  the  little  family  from  want,  and  it  is 
known  that  on  one  occasion,  when  her  husband  was  in  a 
dire  strait,  she  drew  from  an  old  clock  s3,000,  the  care- 
ful hoardings  of  years,  and  rescued  the  place  from  his 
creditors.  Her  energy,  forethought,  and  self-reliance 
served  as  an  admirable  countei'poise  to  the  visionary 
projects  and  scheming  propensities  of  her  husband. 
The  scanty  family  record  shows  that  she  was  possessed 
of  a  high  and  strong  character,  and  to  this  fact  her  favor- 
ite son  always  bore  nnstinted  testimony. 

The  family  lived  for  some  years  at  Port  Pichmond, 
on  the  Kill  Yon  Kull,  and  then  moved  to  Stapleton, 
the  residence  being  on  the  eastern  face  of  Staten  Island, 
on  a  gently  sloping  lawn  that  was  washed  by  the  tides 
of  the  Narrows,  It  stood  ten  rods  or  so  back  from  the 
beach,  and  was  not  lifted  moie  than  six  or  eight  feet 
above  high  water.  It  was  shingled  all  over,  Avas  of  one 
story,  with  a  loft  above  under  a  steep  roof  lighted  by 

*  Still  standing,  and  the  property  of  Dr.  Harrison. 


12  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

dormer  windows,  and  there  could  not  have  been  more 
than  five  rooms  in  tlie  wliole  liouse.  Tliis  made  rather 
cramped  quarters  for  tlie  father,  motlier,  and  nine  lively 
children.  Even  the  great  chimney  seems  to  have  felt 
the  need  of  elbow-room,  for  it  went  outside  and  stood 
up  like  a  grenadier  at  the  gable  end  of  the  cabin,  Cor- 
nelius and  the  older  children  were  born  at  Port  Rich- 
mond. They  had  opened  their  ej^es  on  the  light  of  the 
slcy  in  a  much  smaller  and  humbler  residence,  and  the 
father  moved  to  Stapleton  because  it  had  become  im- 
peratively necessary  to  "  have  more  room."  Taking 
possession  of  the  fine  five-roomed  liouse  on  the  beach 
was,  in  the  Yanderbilt  hive,  analogous  to  sM'arming.* 

Cornelius  Yanderbilt,t  born  May  27,  1794,  was  the 
second  son,  but  when  he  was  eleven  years  old  his  elder 
brother  died,  leaving  him  heir-apparent.  The  dauphin 
had  not  a  vcvy  brilliant  prospect  before  him.  His 
great-grandfather  had  brought  up  eleven  children,  his 
grandfather  seven,  and  his  father  nine,  and  this  severe 
service  had  quite  exhausted  the  few  acres  on  which  the 
thrifty  Aris  had  planted  the  family  tree  eighty  years 
before.  They  had  sailed  a  little,  fished  a  little,  and 
delved  in  the  soil  a  good  deal,  and  had  managed  to  sur- 
vive in  the  humble  fashion  of  those  days. 

Cornelius   attracted  much  attention  by  his  personal 

*  For  description,  see  Ajipendix  A. 
f  He  always  wrote  Ids  name  "  Van  Derbilt."  as  in  the  autograph 
upon  the  cover  of  this  book  ;  hut  he  directed  everybody  else  to 
write  the  name  as  one  word.  His  oldest  son,  during  his  youth,  com- 
promised between  his  father's  custom  and  his  command  by  leaving 
aspice  after  the  first  syllable,  thus  '*  Van  derbilt."  On  the  old  family 
tomb,  built  by  the  Commodore,  the  name  stands  "  Vauder  Bilt,"  but 
ou  the  new  mausoleum  it  appears  as  "  Vauderbilt." 


A    LIVE   BOY.  13 

resoluteness  and  his  love  of  out-door  sports.  That  is  to 
say,  in  the  direct  language  of  that  uncircuitous  age,  "he 
was  obstinate  and  disobedient,  and  h.ated  to  go  to  school.*' 
Indeed,  he  would  not  go  to  school  if  he  could  help  it. 
When  given  his  choice,  limited  to  the  two  things,  he 
even  preferred  to  work.  But  plaj  suited  him  best  of 
all.  He  was  hearty,  hardv,  tall,  and  strong  of  his  age, 
bold,  quick  as  a  cat,  sinewy,  a  good  oarsman,  an  expert 
swimmer,  an  unsurpassed  climber,  a  wrestler  whom  few 
could  lay  upon  his  back.  In  fact  he  seems  to  have 
had  a  remarkably  vigorous  mind,  as  \yell  as  body  ;  he 
early  learned  how  to  sail  a  boat  and  he  learned  the  use 
of  all  accessible  tools, — he  could  learn  anything  but  his 
lessons.  His  mother  used  to  tell  of  his  riding  an  im- 
promptu horse-race,  bare-back  of  course,  before  he  was 
six  years  old.  His  antagonist  was  a  slave-boy  two  yeai's 
his  senior,  and  both  of  them  went  at  full  speed.  The 
black  contestant  lived  to  be  a  Methodist  minister.- 

Books  and  school  Cornelius  shunned.  Multiplication 
was  vexation,  and  Division  M^as  still  worse,  while  he 
never  heard  of  the  Rule-of-Three.  lie  often  lamented 
his  illiteracy  in  after  days.  The  Bible  and  spelling- 
book  were  the  only  books  he  remembered  ever  having 
used  in  school.  But  even  orthography  was  a  profound 
mystery  to  him,  and  all  his  life  he  insisted  on  "  spelling 
according  to  common-sense  " — a  system  which  the  Eng- 
lish language  cannot  tolerate. 

If  young  Cornelius  avoided  school,  he  loved  the  water. 
He  seems  to  have  been  the  first  of  his  line  who  felt  en- 
tirely at  home  upon  the  surface  of  the  bay,  and  who 

*  They  met  .again  at  tlie  Commodore's  liouse,  ia  Wasliington  Place, 
after  a  separation  of  seventy-five  years. 


14  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

looked  down  tlirongli  the  Xarrows  with  an  acquisitive 
eje.  Wliole  summer  afternoons,  when  he  should  have 
been,  or  at  any  rate,  might  have  been,  studying,  he  lay 
upon  the  lawn  or  sat  in  a  tree-top  near  the  house  and 
watched  the  incoming  and  outgoing  craft.  It  was  a 
superb  outlook,  for  the  bay  of  New  York  is  unequalled 
in  the  world  for  its  generous  expanse,  its  pleasant  em- 
brace of  fertile  shores,  its  ever-changing  beauty  and 
its  panorama  of  picturesque  activity.  Opposite  was  the 
forest  of  Bay  liidge  ;  further  off  were  the  vacant  slopes 
where  now  rise  the  white  spires  of  Greenwood.  Up  the 
liarbor  wei-e  the  first  roofs  of  infant  Brooklyn,  and  in 
the  background,  bej'ond,  the  greater  city  was  dimly  vis- 
ible against  the  sky. 

The  boy  was  observing  and  had  a  retentive  memory 
along  the  line  of  his  predilections.  lie  soon  distin- 
guished the  difference  between  a  schooner  and  a  ship,  a 
brig  and  a  barkentine  ;  and  it  is  alleged  that  it  was  not 
long  before  he  knew  by  sight  every  ship  belonging  to 
the  port,  and  learned  the  rig  and  outline  of  every  fish- 
ing-smack or  coaster  that  trafficked  on  the  rivers. 

Like  the  other  farmers  along  the  shore,  his  father  at 
last  came  to  own  a  clumsy  sail-boat  of  primitive  pat- 
tern, with  which  to  carry  his  produce  to  the  city  market. 
It  had  two  masts  and  no  deck,  and  its  name  had  been 
Americanized  from  mellifluous  Spanish  into  "  periau- 
ger."  *  On  this  rude  water- vehicle  young  Cornelius 
made  himself  useful,  and  thus  escaped  torment  at  the 
dreaded  school.      lie  got,  at   an   early  age,  so  that  he 

*  It  was  the  pr(Hlccessor  of  tlio  cat-boat  of  flic  jiresciit  day.  and 
its  iiamo  was  probably  carried  to  tlio  Netliorlauds  by  tho  terrible 
Alva. 


WORK   AXD   FUX.  15 

could  bo  trusted  to  sail  and  steer  the  "  perianger  "  as 
well  as  anybody,  for  there  were  yet  no  steamers  to  run 
him  down. 

A  stoi-y  is  told  at  this  time  which  indicates  that  the 
family  thrift  was  already  bi-ewing  in  his  father's  arte- 
ries. The  boy,  as  a  reward  for  special  hard  work,  hoe- 
ing potatoes,  had  been  promised  a  holiday  •'  next  Tues- 
day," during  wdiich  he  and  a  neighboi'ing  crony,  Owen, 
could  "go  np  to  New  York  and  have  a  good  time." 
The  morning  came,  and  the  father  said  :  "  Xow  Cornele, 
there's  the  perianger  for  you  ;  I've  pitched  on  moi-e 
than  half  of  the  hay,  yon  and  Owen  can  just  pitch  on 
the  rest,  and  take  it  np  and  unload  it  at  the  wharf  as 
usual,  and  you  can  play  on  the  way — both  ways,  going  up 
and  coming  back  !  Here's  sixpence  for  you,  my  boy." 
The  Commodore,  in  telling  the  story  in  after  years,  used 
to  add,  "  A  boy  can  get  fun  out  of  'most  anything,  and 
we  got  some  fun  out  of  that ;  but  I  remember  we  were 
just  as  tired  that  night  as  if  we  had  been  working." 

Before  Cornelius  had  finished  his  eleventh  year,  his 
father  had  come  to  trust  him  to  oversee  and  manage 
jobs  requiring  the  prudence  and  thoughtfulness  of  a 
man,  sometimes  sending  him  many  miles  away  from 
home  with  teams  and  men  to  assist  in  the  nnloading  of 
stranded  vessels.  lie  always  proved  himself  equal  to 
such  emergencies. 

When  he  was  twelve  years  old,  his  father  took  a  con- 
tract for  getting  the  cargo  out  of  a  vessel  stranded  near 
Sandy  Hook,  and  transporting  it  to  Isew  York  in 
lighters.  It  was  necessary  to  carry  the  cargo  in  wagons 
across  a  sandy  spit.  Cornelius,  with  a  little  fleet  of 
lighters,  three  wagons,  their  horses  and  drivers,  started 


16  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

from  liome  solely  charged  with  the  management  of  this 
difficult  affair.  After  loading  the  lighters  and  starting 
them  for  the  eitv,  he  had  to  conduct  his  wagons  home 
by  land^a  long  distance  over  Jersey  sands.  Leaving 
the  beach  with  only  six  dollars,  he  reached  South  Am- 
boy  penniless,  with  six  horses  and  three  men  all  hungry, 
still  far  from  home,  and  separated  from  Staten  Island 
hj  an  arm  of  the  sea  half  a  mile  wide,  that  could  be 
crossed  only  by  paying  the  ferryman  six  dollars.  This 
was  a  puzzling  predicament  for  a  boy  of  twelve,  and  he 
pondered  long  how  he  could  get  out  of  it.  At  length 
he  went  boldly  to  the  only  innkeeper  of  the  place,  and 
addressed  him  thus : 

"  I  have  here  three  teams  that  I  want  to  get  over  to 
Staten  Island.  If  you  will  put  us  across,  I'll  leave  with 
you  one  of  my  horses  in  pawn,  and  if  I  don't  send  you 
back  the  six  dollars  within  forty-eight  hours  you  may 
sell  the  horse." 

The  innkeeper  looked  into  the  bright,  honest  eyes  of 
the  boy  for  a  moment,  and  said  : 

"  I'll  do  it." 

And  he  did  it.  The  horse  in  pawn  was  left  with  the 
ferryman  on  the  island,  and  was  redeemed  in  time. 

At  last  came  the  inevital)le  hour.  The  seductive 
vision  of  moving  sails  had  done  its  work  on  the  boy's 
imagination.  The  wizard  sea  had  wrought  its  spell. 
He  slyly  announced  to  his  mother  that  he  was  going  to 
be  a  sailor  and  should  ship  before  the  mast.  He  Avas 
sixteen  years  old,  stalwart,  tougli,  and  hardy.  Of  course, 
he  would  have  to  run  away,  for  the  youth  of  those  days 
had  not  the  fi-eedom  they  have  at  present— every  boy's 
labor  belonged  to  liis  father  absolutely  until  lie  was 


HE  BUYS   A   BOAT.  17 

twenty-one,  and  the  law  held  Iiini  bound  to  render  that 
service. 

His  mother  pleaded  with  him  to  give  np  hir,  crazy 
fancy,  and  set  before  him  its  exposures,  hardships,  and 
dangers.  He  listened  to' her.  She  was  not  only  the 
family  oracle,  but  she\vas  the  oracle  of  the  neighborhood, 
whose  advice  was  sought  in  all  sorts  of  dilemmas,  and 
whose  judgment  had  weight.  But  he  loved  the  sea  and 
hated  the  farm,  and  he  would  be  one  of  those 

"  Who  reap,  but  sow  not,  on  the  rolling  fields." 

A  compromise  M-as  possible.  If  he  could  not  ship  as  a 
sailor,  might  he  buy  a  boat  ?  If  he  only  had  ^100 
with  which  to  buy  a  boat !  The  mother's  love  directed 
lier  to  a  solution  of  the  problem.  After  thinking  of  the 
matter  over  night  she  promised  the  boy  *  that  if  he 
would  earn  the  hundred  dollars  he  should  have  it. 
There  was  on  the  farm  an  eight-acre  lot,  so  hard,  rough, 
and  stony  that  it  had  never  been  ploughed.  The  bar- 
gain was  that  if  he  would  plough  and  harrow  that  eight 
acres  and  plant  it  with  corn  before  the  27th  of  the 
month,  the  day  when  he  would  be  sixteen,  he  should 
have  the  $100.  He  closed  the  contract  and  he  exe- 
cuted it — partly  by  hard  work,  partly  by  stratagem. 
lie  interested  some  of  the  neighboring  boys  in  his 
scheme.  He  confided  to  them  the  fact  that  he  was  to 
have  "  a  new  periauger "  of  his  own  as  soon  as  he  got 
the  patch  planted,  and  he  added  casually  that  anybody 
who  helped  him  finish  the  job  right  up  in  a  hurry  would 
be  permitted  to  sail  in  the  Avonderful  craft,  and  perhaps 
*  On  May  1,  1810. 


18  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

to  some  extent  assist  in  managing  her.  The  remark 
bore  fruit.  Recruits  flocked  to  his  standard.  And  the 
fiekl  was  all  ploughed,  harrowed,  and  planted  complete 
the  day  befoi-e  his  birthday.* 

He  claimed  his  reward — it  M'as  reluctantly  given — 
produced,  no  doubt,  from  his  mother's  inexhaustible 
clock.  She  had  not  much  faith  in  his  venture.  He 
had  long  had  his  eye  on  a  new  and  beautiful  "  periauger  " 
over  at  Port  Kichmond,  which  the  owner  wanted  to  sell, 
and  now  he  rushed  off  and  secured  it.  It  would  carry 
twenty  passengers.  He  used  to  say,  in  later  days,  when 
in  a  reminiscent  mood,  "  I  didn't  feel  as  much  real  sat- 
isfaction when  I  made  two  million  in  that  Harlem  cor- 
ner as  I  did  on  that  bright  May  morning  sixty  years 
before  M'hen  I  stepped  into  my  own  periauger,  hoisted 
my  own  sail,  and  put  my  hand  on  my  own  tiller."  It 
will  be  noticed  that,  np  to  this  time,  the  boy  had  not 
been  "  a  favorite  of  Fortune,"  as  the  envious  called  him 
in  after  years  ;  he  had  been  helped  by  no  special  "  good 
luck  ;  "  every  step  had  been  won  by  hard  work. 

Kext  morning  he  had  his  anchor  up  bright  and  early, 
and  announced  that  he  was  ready  to  carry  freight  and 
passengers  to  Kew  York.  Those  who  came  down  the 
beach  to  look  at  the  craft  found  a  capable-looking  youth 
of  sixteen  standing  in  the  stern — tall,  vigorous,  firmly- 
knotted,  broad  of  shoulder,  bright  of  eye,  deft  of  hand, 
with  a  complexion  of  Avhite  and  pink,  and  a  reassuring 
and  agreeable  smile.  He  could  back  a  wild  colt  and 
subdue  it,  and  sail  a  boat  on  the  maddest  sea,  but  he 
could  scarcely  write  his  name. 

*  He  liad  evidently  been  reading  about  the  decorative  exploits  of 
"Tom  Sawjer." 


CHAPTER   III. 

YOUTH   AND  AMBITION. 

Sails  his  Boat  on  tlie  Bay— Fare,  Eighteen  Cents— Makes  $1,000  a 
Year — Sturdy,  Abrupt,  and  Honest — In  War  Times — Beats  Van 
Duzen — Marries  at  Nineteen. 

In  those  days  Kew  York  City  was  a  cluster  of  houses 
and  stores  below  Fulton  Street ;  Broadway  came  up  to 
wliere  the  City  Hall  was  rising,  and  disappeared  in  the 
cornfields  to  the  north.  The  Bowery  Avas  a  country  lane, 
leading  to  the  cow-pastures  above  Fourteenth  Street. 
Canal  Street  was  a  brook  running  to  the  Hudson  through 
huckleberry-fields.  Centre  Street  was  a  lake  covering 
ten  acres,  and  a  great  marsh-bordered  pond  spread  over 
the  area  which  is  now  spanned  by  the  approaches  to  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge,  Xew  York  had  overtaken  and  passed 
Boston  and  Philadelphia,  and  it  was  growing.  Most 
of  the  business  was  done  in  Hanover  Square  and  Pearl 
Street ;  there  was  no  Water  Street  or  South  Street 
or  Front  Street  or  West  Street,  and  "  up-town  "  was  in- 
habited only  by  farmers. 

This  was  the  place  to  and  from  which  "  Young  Cor- 
nele,"  as  he  was  called,  began  his  first  trips  of  transpor- 
tation. A  single  fare  was  eighteen  cents.  He  worked 
about  sixteen  hours  out  of  every  twenty-four.     He  car- 


20  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

ried  by  daylight  the  casual  freight  or  incidental  passen- 
ger, and  at  night  he  bore  across  the  Bay,  whenever  he 
could  get  a  load,  parties  of  the  young  of  both  sexes  who 
went  to  enjoy  the  revel  of  promenading  on  the  Battery 
in  the  moonlight,  behind  the  rows  of  old  cannon  which 
still  lingered  there,  and  winding  up  the  wild  festivity 
by  partakiug  of  walnuts  and  llip  in  the  fashionable 
tavern  of  Bowling  Green.  The  lad  made  money.  At 
the  end  of  the  first  year  he  gave  $100  to  his  mother  for 
the  "  perianger,"  and  $1,000  besides.  At  the  end  of 
the  second  he  gave  her  another  $1,000,  and  in  the  mean- 
time had  bought  a  fractional  interest  in  two  or  three 
more  "  periaugers." 

Just  at  this  time  there  came  an  extraordinary  demand 
for  boats.  On  account  of  the  joyful  manner  in  which  we 
heard  of  and  commented  on  the  triumphant  march  of 
Napoleon  in  Europe  the  relations  of  this  country  with 
Great  Britain  were  becoming  strained,  and  war  was 
menaced.  So  our  seaports  were  immediately  strength- 
ened. The  forts  now  flanking  the  entrance  to  the 
Sound  and  the  Narrows  were  hastily  begun,  and  all 
available  boatmen  were  kept  busy  bringing  materials  for 
their  construction.  Cornelius  got  his  full  share  of  the 
business.  Often  he  skipped  his  dinner,  and  always 
went  to  bed  late  and  was  out  with  the  dawn. 

Tlie  young  boatman  was  not  blessed  "with  popular 
manners.  lie  was  not  conciliatory,  and  never  seemed  to 
care  what  people  thought  or  said  of  him.  He  lacked 
the  affability  and  suavity  which  are  born  of  a  love  of 
approbation — the  desire  to  please.  He  was  not  choice  of 
his  language.  He  was  sometimes  harsh,  abru})t,  uncere- 
monious, and  even  uncivil  — like  Julius  Ga'sar,  Kapuleon 


BOLD    AND    SKILLFUL.  21 

Bonaparte,  Wellington,  Von  Moltke,  Belmont,  and  a 
good  many  others  who  liave  never  attained  either  wealth 
or  fame. 

But  he  was  honest.  He  charged  fair  prices.  He  al- 
lowed nobody  to  miderbid  him.  He  believed  in  the 
competitive  system  of  labor,  which  all  sluggards  who  are 
beaten  in  the  competition  denounce  as  barbarous.  He 
believed  in  "  the  survival  of  the- fittest,"  a  law  of  nature 
that  is  never  liked  by  the  weaklings  or  by  those  who 
are  unable  to  cope  with  their  fellows  on  equal  terms. 
He  was  thoroughly  capable  and  willing.  So  he  soon 
came  to  be  the  first  person  called  on  when  anything  dif- 
ficult or  dangerous  was  to  be  done.  When  the  winds 
were  fierce,  and  the  eyes  were  blinded  with  driving 
sleet,  and  the  waves  raged  and  howled  for  a  victim,  then 
the  youth  was  in  demand  if  anybody  needed  to  go  upon 
the  bay. 

In  this  instance,  as  ever,  the  boy  was  father  of  the 
man.  The  traits  he  showed  as  a  boatman  on  the  bay 
were  the  very  same  tliat  distinguished  him  fifty  years 
later — the  power  of  doing  what  he  set  out  to  do  in  spite 
of  all  obstacles.  This  was  the  key  to  the  achievements 
of  his  life. 

When  the  British  fleet  tried  to  foi'ce  its  way  past 
Sandy  Hook,  "to  lay  Xew  York  in  ashes,*'  as  the  Ad- 
miral gayly  observed,  the  ill-equipped  forts  beat  it  off. 
The  batteries  had  an  important  ally  in  a  fearful  storm 
that  was  raging  at  the  time,  but  this  niade  it  all  the 
more  diflicult  to  infoi'm  the  commanding  otficer  in  the 
city  of  the  attack  and  the  repulse,  and  to  obtain  instant 
]"einforcements.  A  messenger  was  sent  to  Staten  Island 
for  its  most  expert  boatman.     Cornelius  was  found  and 


22  THE   YAXDERBILTS. 

summoned.  Arriving  at  Sandy  Hook,  a  staff  officer 
asked  him  if  a  boat  would  live  in  such  a  sea. 

"  Yes,  if  properly  handled,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Will  yon  take  us  to  the  Battery  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  shall  carry  you  part  way  under  water." 

"All  right,  young  man ;  we  can  stand  that." 

They  started,  and  after  several  hours  of  terrible  ex- 
posure to  cold  and  wet  he  landed  them  safely  at  the 
stairs  at  Whitehall.  They  were  like  drowned  rats,  and 
one  of  them  declaimed  that  he  did  not  draw  one  full 
breath  throughout  tlie  stormy  journey.  But  there  they 
were,  and  the  fort  at  Sandy  Hook  was  reinforced  next 
morning. 

He  allowed  nobody  to  beat  him  at  the  business  he 
followed.  One  day,  when  the  wind  was  off,  and  he  was 
pulling  his  boat-load  of  passengers  up  through  Butter- 
milk Channel,  between  Governor's  Island  and  Brooklyn, 
he  suddenly  found  his  boat  neck-and-neck  with  the  boat 
of  his  tall  rival,  Jake  Van  Duzen.  Beaten  he  must 
never  be,  and  by  the  most  powerful  exertions  he  sent 
his  boat  swiftly  forward  to  its  destination.  But  he  held 
the  pole  against  his  breast,  and  he  put  forth  such  efforts 
that  it  bored  through  the  flesh  to  the  bone,  and  made 
there  a  scar  which  he  carried  to  his  grave. 

One  day  during  the  war  an  advertisement  appeared 
in  the  papers  which  stirred  up  some  emulation.  "When 
the  boatmen  M'ere  anxiously  considering  what  they 
should  do  to  escape  the  draft  and  thus  keep  at  their 
profitable  \vork,  a  card  was  issued  from  the  ofhce  of  the 
Commissary-General,  ]\Iatthew  L.  Davis,  inviting  bids 
from  the  boatmen  for  the  contract  of  conveying  provi- 
sions to  the  posts  in  the  vicinity  of  Xew  York,  during 


A   GOVERNMENT   CONTRACT.  23 

tlie  three  months — the  contractor  to  bo  exempt  from 
military  duty.  The  boatmen  canght  at  this,  as  a  drow-n- 
ing  man  catches  at  a  straw,  and  put  in  bids  at  rates 
pi'eposteronsly  ]ow — all  except  Cornelius  Vanderbilt. 

"  Why  don't  you  send  in  a  bid  ?  "  asked  his  father. 

"  Of  whatnse  would  it  be  ?  "  replied  the  son.  "  They 
are  offering  to  do  the  work  at  half  price.  It  can't  be 
done  at  sncli  rates." 

"  Well,"'  added  the  father,  "  it  can  do  no  harm  to  try 
for  it." 

So,  to  please  his  father,  but  without  the  slightest  ex- 
pectation of  getting  the  contract,  he  sent  in  an  applica- 
tion, offering  to  transport  the  provisions  at  a  price  whicli 
would  enable  him  to  do  it  with  the  requisite  certainty 
and  promptitude.  His  offer  was  simply  fair  to  both 
parties. 

On  the  day  named  for  awarding  the  contract  all  the 
boatmen  excepting  liim  assembled  at  the  commissai-y's 
office.  He  stayed  at  the  boat-stand,  not  considering 
that  he  had  any  interest  in  the  aM^ard.  When  they  all, 
one  after  another,  returned  without  the  prize,  he  strolled 
over  to  the  office,  and  asked  the  commissary  if  the  con- 
tract had  been  given. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Davis ;  "  that  business  is  settled. 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt  is  the  man." 

He  was  thunderstruck. 

"  What !  "  said  the  commissary,  observing  his  aston- 
ishment, "  is  it  yon  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Cornelius  Vanderbilt." 

"  Well,"  said  Davis,  "  don't  you  know  why  we  have 
given  the  contract  to  you  1 " 

"  No." 


24  THE   VATSTDERBILTS. 

"  Why,  it  is  because  we  want  this  business  done^  and 
we  know  you'll  do  it." 

When  he  was  nineteen  years  old  he  fell  in  love  with 
Sophia  Johnson,  an  attractive  and  capable  young  woman, 
and  the  daughter  of  his  father's  sister  Eleanor.  His 
mother  objected  to  the  match  on  the  ground  of  con- 
sanguinity, and  his  father  on  the  ground  that  so  useful 
and  profitable  a  member  of  the  household  could  not  be 
spared  ;  but  he  overcame  both  impediments  and  mar- 
ried her.* 

There  are  on  the  lips  of  the  old  people  of  Staten  Island 
and  New  York  many  picturesque  traditions  of  the  prow- 
ess of  young  Yanderbilt  about  these  days.  One  tells  how, 
when  injustice  Avas  attempted  against  him,  he  attacked 
with  his  fists  an  armed  oiRcer  in  the  midst  of  a  battalion 
of  soldiers,  and  compelled  him  to  succumb.  Another 
narrates  how,  when  riding  up  Broadway  at  the  head 
of  a  cavalcade  of  eight  hundred  Staten  Islanders,  in  a 
procession,  he  was  insulted  by  "  Yankee  Sullivan," 
whereupon  he  calmly  dismounted  and  beat  that  re- 
nowned pugilist  "  till  he  couldn't  stand."  These  stories 
liave  an  internal  resemblance  to  the  myths  wherewith 
popular  prodigies  and  heroes  are  always  glorified,  and 
the  details  need  not  be  recounted  here. 

War  was  raging  around,  and  business  was  bi'isk.  The 
young  husband  had  obtained  the  contract  to  carrj^  pi-o- 
visions  to  the  six  forts  around  New  York,  and  this  im- 
mediately entailed  extraordinary  labors.  To  supply  each 
of  the  six  forts  took  one  day,  and  each  needed  provi- 
sioning once  a  week.  His  boat  was  busy  on  the  Staten 
Island  route  during  the  day,  so  he  did  the  additional 

*  December  19,  1813. 


BOATING   AND    PEDDLING.  25 

work  at  night,  loading  up  at  the  Battery  every  evening 
after  the  day's  ferriage  was  over.  Sunday  furnished  the 
only  day  or  night  of  unbroken  rest. 

The  profits  were  hirge,  and  he  was  now  enabled  to 
build  a  beautiful  little  schooner  for  the  coasting-trade, 
which  he  called  the  Dread,  and  which  he  sent  under  a 
captain  up  and  down  the  Sound  or  ocean-shore,  wherever 
a  paying  cargo  could  be  found.  From  his  several  vent- 
iu*es  he  was  earning  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  built  a  very  large  schooner  named  after 
his  sister  Charlotte,  and  put  it  on  the  line  between  Xew 
York  and  Charleston,  commanded  by  her  husband,  Cap- 
tain De  Forest. 

In  one  of  his  cruisings  up  the  river  he  stopped  with  a 
community  of  Shakers.  After  he  had  remained  with 
them  a  day  and  a  night  tliey  refused  to  take  any  pay 
for  the  hospitality.  The  circumstance  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  his  mind,  and  he  never  forgot  it." 

He  did  coasting  or  river  business  indifferently,  trans- 
porting or  peddling,  as  the  case  might  be.  He  was 
above  no  honest  toil  that  brought  in  moneyj  Xow  he 
would  carry  l)oat-loads  of  shad  up  and  down  the  shore 
looking  for  a  purchaser.  Xow  he  would  collect  tons  of 
melons  in  Delaware,  and  boat  them  up  to  Albany,  sell- 
ing them  out,  wholesale  and  retail,  at  the  little  towns 
on  the  way. 

When  the  war  closed  and  he  had  passed  his  twenty- 
first  birthday,  he  began  earnestly  to  plan  methods  of 
improving  the  shape  and  build  of  ships.     He  allowed 

*  Many  years  afterward,  when  president  of  the  Harlem,  he  granted 
to  them  an  important  and  nnusual  concession,  much  to  the  surprise 
of  his  associates. 


26  THE   VAISTDEEBILTS. 

himself  to  be  lianijDered  by  no  precedents,  and  be  intro- 
duced such  innovations  and  modifications  as  attracted 
the  attention  of  ship-builders,  and  made  "  Vanderbilt 
models "  and  "  Vanderbilt  methods "  discussed  even 
among  the  experienced  and  practical  men  of  his  craft. 
He  soon  built  another  vessel,  a  still  greater  departure 
from  the  usual  patterns,  and  worked  on.)  Between  ship- 
building and  ship-owning,  when  he  M^as  twenty-three 
he  balanced  his  books*  and  found  that  he  was  worth 
$9,000  in  cash,  besides  his  interest  in  various  stanch 
sailing-vessels.  But  a  new  candidate  had  come  to  con- 
test with  Boreas  the  supremacy  of  the  sea,  and  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt  sat  down  on  ISTew  Year's  Day  and  thought  it 

over. 

*  December  31,  1817. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

STEAMBOAT   AND   TAVERN. 

Abandons  Sails  for  Steam — New  York  to  Xe\v  Brunswick — Figlit 
with  a  Monopoly — Dodging  the  Sheriff — Making  his  Point^ 
Large  Profits — Pluck  and  Enterprise. 

The  new-comer  was  Steam.  Two  years  after  Cor- 
nelius Yanderbilt  was  boi-n,  John  Fitcli,  of  Connecticut, 
had  launched  a  steam-yawl,  propelled  by  a  stern-screw, 
on  Collect  Pond,  a  body  of  fresh  water  sixty  feet  deep, 
where  the  Tombs  now  stands,  and  though  he  had  but  a 
twelve-gallon  pot  for  a  boiler,  he  ran  his  nondescript 
around  the  pond  witli  great  rapidity.*  Tlie  achieve- 
ment was  almost  forgotten  when  Kobert  Fulton,  eleven 
years  later,  launched  the  Clermont  on  the  Hudson  and 
steamed  toward  Albany  against  wind  and  tide  at  the 
rate  of  five  miles  an  hour.  John  Stevens  simultane- 
ously launched  the  Phffinix  on  the  Delaware. 

These  events  caused  a  sensation,  and  M'ere  heard  of 
and  talked  of  even  in  Staten  Island.  The  State  of  Xew 
York  hastened  to  grant  exclusive  patents  to  Fulton  and 
Livingston   for  the  running   of  steamboats  on  all  the 

*  Fitch  had  been  before  his  invention  a  penniless  adventurer,  capt- 
ured and  bartered  for  tobacco  by  the  Indians  of  Ohio  ;  and,  after 
his  failure  to  attract  attention  by  his  steam-vessels  on  Collect  Pond 
and  the  Delaware,  he  returned  to  the  West,  disgusted  with  the 
world's  stupidity,  and  died  of  drink  in  the  wilderness  of  Kentucky, 
while  Fulton  and  Livingston  were  reaping  his  harvest. 


28  THE   YAXDERBILTS. 

waters  within  its  jurisdiction,  and  the  patentees  pro- 
ceeded to  profit  bj  it.  Better  boats  than  the  Clermont 
were  built,  a  higher  speed  was  attained,  and  in  some 
places  they  even  drove  off  the  sloops  and 'schooners  and 
took  their  place.  By  ISIO  Fulton  and  Livingston  had 
four  regular  steamboats  plying  on  the  Hudson,  one  on 
the  Delaware  and  one  on  the  St.  Lawrence.* 

Ship-owners,  as  a  class,  derided  the  steamboat  as  "  a 
mere  plaything,"  which  might  answer  for  Sunday-scliool 
picnics,  but  could  never  be  used  to  carry  freight  to  ad- 
vantage, because  the  machinery  took  up  so  much  room. 
Young  Vanderbilt  was  a  leader  among  this  class,  and 
participated  in  this  sort  of  talk,  but  he  did  not  allow  it 
to  blind  his  judgment  as  to  probabilities.  lie  went  and 
carefully  examined  Fulton's  craft,  took  passage  to  Al- 
bany and  back,  studied  the  engines  and  machinery,  and 
reluctantly  made  up  his  mind  that  the  future  of  naviga- 
tion belonged  to  steamboats. 

lie  saw  that  the  usefulness  of  sailing-vessels  was  lim- 
ited by  various  conditions,  \vliile  the  scope  of  steam  was 
pi'actically  unbounded.  To  the  astonishment  of  his 
friends,  he  suddenly  turned  his  back  on  sails,  gave  up 
the  coasting  business,  sold  out  his  interest  in  half  a 
dozen  vessels,  and  looked  vaguely  around  for  a  steam- 
boat.    He  was  eager  to  learn  the  business  on  any  terms. 

Fulton  and  Livingston  had  been  granted  by  the  Leg- 
islature a  monopoly  of  the  new  motor  in  Xew  York 
State,  but  the  privilege  M'as  not  uncontested.  Thomas 
Gibbons,  a  man  with  money  and  spirit,  had  started,  a 
transportation  line  from  iSTew  York  to  Philadelphia,  by 

*  There  was  only  one  steamboat  on  tlie  Mississippi  at  tlie  time  of 
tlie  battle  of  New  Orleans. 


FIGHTING   A   MONOPOLY.  29 

steamer  from  tlie  Battery  to  Xew  Brunswick,  at  tlie 
head  of  liaritan  River,  thence  by  stage  to  Trenton,  and 
by  steamer  again  from  Trenton  to  the  point  of  destina- 
tion. Livingston  fought  him  in  tlie  courts,  got  a  de- 
cision against  him,  obtained  an  injunction  to  prevent  the 
trip  from  the  Battery  to  ISTew  Brunswiclc,  and  put  in  the 
liands  of  officers  warrants  for  tlie  arrest  of  Gibbons  and 
liis  captain.  Gibbons  appealed  to  higher  courts,  but 
personally  he  stayed  in  New  Jersey,  and  made  reprisals 
as  he  could.  In  his  defence,  New  Jersey  passed  a  re- 
taliatory law,  threatening  with  State  prison  any  officer 
of  New  York  who  should  arrest  any  citizen  of  New 
Jersey  for  steamboating  in  New  York  waters.  But  the 
officers  attempting  to  execute  the  Livingston  writs  were 
carfeful  to  keep  on  their  own  side  of  the  bay  and  the  river. 
It  was  a  bitter  contest,  and  prolonged  from  year  to  year. 
Vanderbilt  was  naturally  pugnacious.  He  always 
.took  sides  in  a  fight,  and  generally  with  the  weaker 
party.  So  now,  lie  announced  himself  a  Gibbonsonian, 
and  was  welcomed  as  an  important  recruit.  A  man  of 
grit  was  needed  to  command  the  Mouse-of-the-Moun- 
tain,  and  though  Vanderbilt  had  been  clearing  ^3,000 
a  year  by  luffing  and  tacking,  he  now  accepted  $1,000 
a  year  as  captain  of  that  diminutive  steamboat.  He  at 
once  introduced  a  new  order  of  things.  He  improved 
the  Mouse  in  various  ways,  made  his  trips  on  time, 
discharged  all  superfluous  help,  cut  down  running  ex- 
penses, and  at  the  end  of  six  months,  the  line  began  for 
the  first  time  to  return  a  profit  to  Gibbons.  In  a  year 
the  Bellona,  a  larger  steamer,  M\as  built  under  Yander- 
bilt's  supervision,  and  substituted  for  the  Mouse-of-the- 
Mountain. 


30  THE   VAISTDEEBILTS. 

Tlie  half-way-house  at  Xew  Brunswick,  where  all 
passengers  had  to  tarry  over-night  to  take  the  morning 
stage,  was  dirtv  and  badlv-managed,  and  Vanderbilt's 
offer  to  "  take  it  and  run  it,"  was  promptly  accepted. 
Thither  he  moved  his  M-ife  with  her  babes  from  his 
father's  little  house  at  Stapleton,  and  put  her  in  charge 
of  the  way-side  tavern.  This  step  was  abundantly  justi- 
fied by  the  results.  Like  his  mother,  his  Avife  proved 
to  be  a  rare  woman — strong,  industrious,  neat,  frugal, 
skilful,  courageous,  and  business-like.  She  turned  the 
house  wrong-side  out  and  up-side  down,  cleaned  it,  reno- 
vated it,  fumigated  it,  and  made  it  fit  for  guests.  The 
same  energy,  care,  thrift,  and  economy  which  her  hus- 
band exhibited  for  the  next  twelve  years  in  command  of 
the  Bellona,  she  practised  in  command  of  Bellona  Hall. 
The  line  at  last  was  made  to  pay  $40,000  a  year  to  Gib- 
bons, and  Captain  Vanderbilt's  salary  was  raised  to 
$2,000.  Besides  the  salary,  the  house  at  the  point  of 
transfer  was  a  constant  source  of  revenue." 

During  more  than  half  of  these  twelve  years  of  ap- 
prenticeship to  steam,  Yanderbilt's  life  was  one  inces- 
sant fight  with  the  monopoly  created  by  the  Legislature. 
The  Bellona  violated  the  patent  of  Fulton  and  Livingston 
from  the  moment  she  entered  Xew  York  Bay,  and  the 
captain  was  subjected  to  repeated  arrests  and  constant 
annoyance.  There  was  one  period  when  for  sixty  suc- 
cessive days  an  attempt  was  every  day  made  to  arrest 
him,  but  the  captain  baffled  each  attempt.     He  fought 

*  Captain  Vanderbilt  is  known  to  liave  expressed  some  socialistic 
notions  about  these  days,  such  as  that  John  Jacob  Astor  was  a  dan- 
gerous monopolist,  and  "no  man  ever  ought  to  be  worth  more  than 
$20,000. ' ' 


DODGI^s'G    THE    SHERIFF.  31 

the  monopoly  by  every  device  lie  could  think  of,  and, 
as  in  the  fable  of  old,  made  the  tail  of  the  fox  eke  ont 
the  skin  of  the  lion.  When  defiance  failed  to  protect 
him,  he  resorted  to  stratagem  and  iinesse.  lie  took  a 
young  woman  into  the  pilot-house  and  taught  her  to 
steer  the  boat,  so  that  when  the  ofhcers  of  the  law 
boai"ded  the  trespassing  vessel  off  Governor's  Island, 
they  were  greeted  only  with  a  confusing  vision  of  petti- 
coats at  the  helm.  They  searched  the  lower  decks  on 
these  occasions,  but  the  crew  had  all  been  left  in  New 
Jersey,  and  the  captain  had  retreated  and  hidden  him- 
self in  a  fanel-closet  which  they  could  not  find.  This 
went  on  week  after  week,  the  M-rit  of  arrest  being  reg- 
ularly returned  with  the  indorsement,  non  est  inventus. 

In  1810  Captain  Yanderbilt  was  caught  on  the  wharf. 
In  the  custody  of  the  exasperated  and  indignant  sheriff 
he  was  taken  to  Albany  on  the  next  steamboat  which 
the  Stevenses  sent  up,  and  there  M^as  arraigned  before 
the  Chancellor,  Livingston's  successor,  to  answer  for  con- 
tempt of  court.  When  the  trial  came  off,  it  was  found 
that  the  audacious  captain  had  set  a  trap,  and  had  gone 
ashore  on  purpose  to  be  captured,  having  for  that  day  only 
(Sunday)  hired  out  to  one  Tompkins,  who  held  a  license 
under  the  Fulton-Livingston  patents,     lie  was  released. 

A  little  incident  of  these  years  he  has  sometimes  re- 
lated to  his  children.  In  the  cold  January  of  1820,  the 
ship  Elizabeth — the  first  ship  ever  sent  to  Africa  by  the 
Colonization  Society — lay  at  the  foot  of  Rector  Street, 
with  the  negroes  all  on  board,  frozen  in.  For  many 
days  her  crew,  aided  by  the  crew  of  the  frigate  Siam, 
her  convoy,  had  been  cutting  away  at  the  ice ;  but  as 
more  ice  formed  at  night  than  could  be  removed  by  day, 


32  THE   VAIS^DERBILTS. 

tlie  prospect  of  getting  to  sea  was  unpromising.  One  after- 
noon Captain  Vanderbilt  joined  the  crowd  of  spectators. 

"  Tliej  are  going  the  wrong  way  to  work,"  he  care- 
lessly remarked,  as  he  tnrned  to  go  home.  "  I  could 
get  her  out  in  one  day." 

These  words  from  a  man  who  was  known  to  mean  all 
he  said  made  an  impression  on  a  bystander,  who  re- 
ported them  to  the  anxious  agent  of  the  society.  The 
agent  called  upon  him. 

"  What  did  you  mean,  captain,  by  saying  that  you 
could  get  out  the  ship  in  one  day  ?  " 

"  Just  Mdiat  I  said."  % 

"  What  will  you  get  her  out  for  ?  " 

"  One  hundred  dollars." 

"  I'll  give  it.     When  will  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  Have  a  steamer  to-morrow,  at  twelve  o'clock,  ready 
to  tow  her  out.     I'll  have  her  clear  in  time." 

That  same  evening,  at  six,  he  was  on  the  spot  witli 
five  men,  three  pine  boards,  and  a  small  anchor.  The 
difficulty  was  that  beyond  the  ship  there  were  two  hun- 
dred yards  of  ice  too  thin  to  bear  a  man.  The  captain 
placed  his  anchor  on  one  of  his  boards,  and  pushed  it 
out  as  far  as  he  could  reach  ;  then  placed  another  board 
npon  the  ice,  lay  down  upon  it,  and  gave  liis  anchor 
another  push.  Then  he  put  down  his  third  board,  and 
nsed  that  as  a  means  of  propulsion.  In  this  way  he 
worked  forward  to  near  the  edge  of  the  thin  ice,  where 
tlie  anchor  broke  through  and  sunk.  With  the  line  at- 
tached to  it,  he  hauled  a  boat  to  the  outer  edge,  and  then 
began  cutting  a  passage  for  the  ship.  At  eleven  the 
next  morning  she  was  clear.  At  twelve  slie  was  towed 
into  the  stream. 


STICKING   TO   GIBBONS.  B3 

Every  effort  was  made  by  the  ricli  Xorth  River  alli- 
ance to  induce  this  plucky  young  captain  to  desert  to 
their  side.  They  sent  an  emissary  who  offei-ed  him 
85,000  a  year  to  take  charge  of  their  largest  boat.  He 
declined.  "  No,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  stick  to  Gibbons. 
He  has  always  treated  me  square,  and  been  as  good  as 
his  Avord.  (BesideSj^I  don't  care  half  so  much  about 
making  money  as  I, do  about  making  my  jjoint,  and 
coming  out  aheadP \ 

In  1S2J:,  when  he  had  continued  the  battle  against 
monopoly  seven  years,  the  cause  of  Gibbons  'os.  the  suc- 
cessors of  Livingston  was  decided  in  favor  of  Gibbons, 
in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Daniel 
Webster  made  his  great  speech  against  the  granting  of 
such  an  exclusive  privilege,  and  Chief  Justice  Marshall 
delivered  the  judgment  of  the  Court,  that  it  was  uncon- 
stitutional. Thenceforth  the  boats  were  run  in  peace, 
and  there  was  no  longer  before  the  captain's  eyes  the 
fear  of  a  jail. 

The  following  is  an  advertisement  of  those  early  days : 

UNION   LINE. 

For   Philadelphia   and  Baltimore. 

Through 

To   Philadeli)hia  in  one  day  J 

Twenty-five   miles 

of  land  carriage,  hy  New  Brunswick,  Princeton,  and  Trenton! 

The  splendid  new  steamer,  Emerald,  Captain  C.  Vanderbilt, 
leaves  the  whai'f,  north  side  of  the  Batteiy,  at  12  o'clock  noon 
every  day,  Sunday  excepted.  Travellers  will  lodge  at  Trenton 
and  ariive  at  Philadelphia  by  steamboat  at  10  o'clock  next 
morning  ! 

fare  only   three  dollars ! 

For  seats,  apply  to  York  House,  No.  5  Coui-tlandt  Street. 

New  York,  Sei>tember  15,  1826. 


f 


34  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

Another  boat  left  at  a  later  hour,  whose  passengers 
stopped  all  night  at  Bellona  Hall,  Kew  Brnnswick. 

During  these  years,  too.  Captain  Yanderbilt  had  been 
making  a  profound  stud}'  of  the  shape  and  equipment 
of  steamboats ;  had  been  locating  their  weaknesses, 
and  drawing  crude  designs  to  remedy  them.  Fulton 
and  Livingston  were  long  since  dead,  but  their  intro- 
duction of  steam  had  been  followed  by  tremendous 
growth  in  all  directions.  Captain  Yanderbilt  told  his 
Avife  that  he  must  take  a  hand  in  the  spoils  of  this  ncM'ly 
discovered  realm,  and  to  do  so  advantageously  they 
nmst  leave  jS^ew  Brunswick  and  return  to  ]^ew  York 
Bay.  Woman-like,  she  di-eaded  to  give  up  her  home 
to  try  experiments.  "  I  love  this  place,"  she  said. 
"  Our  children  have  been  born  here.  We  have  friends 
about  us.  AYe  have  prospered  and  can  now  count  up 
$30,000  of  our  own.  Why  should  we  tempt  misfortune 
by  changing  now  ?  " 

She  had  a  strong  ally  in  Thomas  Gibbons,  who 
warmly  remonstrated  with  the  captain.  "  If  you  leave 
me,  Yanderbilt,  it  will  break  up  the  line.  I  can't  get 
along  without  you.  I  will  double  your  pay.  Stay  and 
I  will  let  you  have  half  of  the  line  at  your  own  price, 
and  you  may  pay  for  it  out  of  the  profits."  But  Yan- 
derbilt's  eye  was  fixed  on  the  traffic  of  the  Hudson  and 
the  Sound ;  his  acute  commercial  brain  showed  him 
how  these  could  be  marvellously  expanded  and  devel- 
oped, and  how  he  could  put  in  practice  those  new  prin- 
ciples of  construction  that  he  had  forged  during  his 
meditations. 

So  in  1829  he  resigned  and  took  his  now  muncrous 
family  back  to  Kcw  York  City.     In  the  spring  of  lb30 


SHARP   KIVALKY.  35 

he  made  his  appearance  among  the  transportation 
grandees  who  controlled  the  waters  of  the  State.  They 
were  richer  than  he,  but  they  already  knew  him  and 
feared  him.  It  was  a  case  of  superior  sagacity  against 
long  purses.  He  began  to  build  boats  with  novel  im- 
provements and  run  them  in  opposition  to  the  old  es- 
tablished lines.  His  chief  and  most  enterprising  an- 
tagonist, Stevens  of  lloboken,  amazed  at  the  dash  of 
his  onset,  and  supposing  that  he  was  '•  backed  by  Gib- 
bons," surrendered  the  light  and  withdrew  from  the 
river  rather  than  waste  a  fortime  in  cutting  rates  ;  but 
that  doughty  couple,  Daniel  Drew  and  Dean  Richmond, 
took  his  place  in  the  battle.  Vanderbilt  constructed 
magnificent  boats,  faster,  better,  and  more  commodious 
than  ever  befoi-e  seen,  and  he  ran  them  at  the  lowest 
paying  fares.  His  foible  \vas  "  opposition  ; "  wherever 
his  keen  eye  detected  a  line  that  was  making  a  very 
large  profit  on  its  investment,  he  swooped  down  on  it 
and  drove  it  to  the  wall  by  offering  a  better  service  and 
lower  rates."'" 

To  understand  what  tremendous  improvements  were 
introduced  into  steamboating  by  this  trio  of  giant  com- 
manders, it  is  necessary  only  to  travel  on  the  shabby 
English  river-boats  or  the  primitive  Rhine  steamers  of 
to-day,  where  the  influence  of  these  enterprising  I'ivals 
was  never  felt. 

The  Caroline,  a  little  steamer  which  Yanderbilt  con- 
structed at  this  time,  met  with  an  unusual  doom.  She 
was  put  on  Lake  Erie,  and  there  was  used  by  the  in- 
surgents during  the  Canadian  "  rebellion."      She  was 

*  After  leaving  Gibbons  he  made  $30,000  a  year  for  the  first  five 
years,  then  doubled  it  in  183(5. 


36  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

captured  by  an  excited  band  of  loyalists,  in  the  Niagara 
River,  and  then  she  was  cut  from  her  moorings,  set  on 
fire,  turned  down  the  rapids,  sent,  like  some  splendid 
sacrificial  offering  over  the  mighty  Falls,  and  torn  to 
pieces  in  the  mad  whirlpool  below. 

It  is  a  fact  worth  noting  that,  although  Vanderbilt,  at 
one  time  or  another,  built  or  bought  a  hundred  vessels, 
not  one  of  them  was  ever  wrecked,  burned,  or  destroyed 
while  in  his  possession.  This  must  be  assigned  to  the 
extreme  care  with  which  he  selected  his  officers  and 
men. 

Jle^  never  insured  a  vessel.  lie  used  to  say,  when 
spoken  to  on  the  subject:  "Good  vessels  and  good  cap- 
tains are  the  best  sort  of  insurance.  If  corporations  can 
make  money  out  of  insurance,  I  can." 

Captain  Yanderbilt  came  naturally  by  his  early  preju- 
dices against  railroads.  In  October,  1833,  the  first  se- 
rious railroad  accident  in  America  occurred  on  the  Am- 
boy  Railroad,  in  Xew  Jersey.  The  Captain  came  near 
losing  his  life.  He  was  pitched  out,  dragged  along  the 
track,  and  flung  down  a  thirty-foot  embankment.  Sev- 
eral of  his  ribs  were  broken  and  pushed  into  the  lungs, 
and  the  air  escaped  into  the  cellular  tissue.  His  body 
was  dangerously  swollen,  and  lie  was  subjected  to  heroic 
treatment  at  his  house,  13-i  Madison  Street,*  by  Dr. 
Jared  Lindsey,  then  a  young  man.  "I  staid  with  him 
thi-ee  weeks,"  says  the  doctor.  "  One  night  I  bled  him 
three  times,  and  thus  subdued  the  inflammation." 

*  See  Appendix  B. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOME   AND   CHILDREN. 

His  return  to  New  York  Harbor — Residence  in  the  City — A  New 
House  on  Staten  Island — His  Tliree  Sons — Stern  Management — 
William  H.  's  Exile  to  New  Dorp. 

When  he  left  l^ew  Brunswick,  in  1829,  with  his  wife 
and  cliildren,*  he  took  them  first  to  a  quiet  and  humble 
tenement  in  Stone  Street,  near  the  Battery.  The  sur- 
roundings were  narrow,  unwholesome,  and  uncomfort- 
able, especially  for  the  children,  M'ho  seriously  felt  the 
contrast  with  the  open  country  to  which  they  had  been 
accustomed.f  From  here  he  soon  sought  a  little  more 
comfortable  quarters  in  East  Broadway,  but  this  tene- 
ment was  the  reverse  of  spacious,  and  he  shortly  re- 
turned with  his  increasing  family  to  the  little  honse  at 
Stapleton,  where  his  mother  still  resided  with  some  of 
her  daughters. 

This,  of  conrse,  was  far  too  cramped  to  be  longer  tol- 
erable, and  Captain  Vanderbilt,  already  regarded  as  a 
man  of  means,  built  his  first  family  mansion  on  Staten 

*  There  were  thirteen  children  in  all,  and  ten  of  them  were  born 
in  New  Brunswick.  One  (Francis)  died  in  infancy,  and  the  story  of 
the  other  three  boys  will  be  told.  The  nine  girls  all  lived  to  marry 
and  have  families,  but  the  captain  and  his  wife  were  too  busy  to 
make  a  family  record,  and  diligent  inquiry  fails  to  ascertain  the  dates 
of  their  children's  birth.  t  ^^^  Appendix  B. 


38  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

Island,  in  one  corner  of  the  ancestral  farm.  He  had 
his  eje  on  this  lot  early  in  life,  and  years  before  he  built 
his  permanent  home  there  it  was  known  among  the 
neighbors  as  "  Corneel's  lot."  Its  site  was  on  the  north- 
east  corner  of  the  farm,  near  the  water,  on  a  rise  of  land 
overlooking  the  bay,  midway  between  Stapleton  and 
Tompkinsville,  and  those  passing  down  that  road  may 
still  see,  surrounded  by  an  iron  fence,  the  residence  of 
the  great  railroad  king.  It  is  an  imposing  dwelling, 
conspicuous  for  its  high  portico  and  tall  Corinthian  col- 
umns in  front.  IIe)"e  he  lived  several  years,  du.ring  the 
youth  of  his  children. 

It  was  not  until  1846  that  the  family  moved  to  Xew 
York  and  made,  at  JSTo.  10  Washington  Place,  a  perma- 
nent residence.  It  was  a  little  too  far  np-town,  but 
the  tide  was  setting  toward  it.  The  "npper  ten,"  as 
they  were  called,  had  begun  to  abandon  that  choice 
locality,  St.  John's  Square,  now  occupied  by  the  great 
freight  depot  of  the  Hudson  River  Railway  Company. 
Bleecker  Street,  even,  Avas  ceasing  to  be  the  fashionable 
thoroughfare,  and  "Washington's  Parade  Ground,  its 
name  modei-nized  to  Washington  Square,  had  become 
the  aristocratic  heart  of  the  city.  Trees  had  been 
planted,  greensward  put  down,  the  stream  that  ran 
through  it  turned  aside  into  the  new  sewer,  and  it  had 
become  the  most  desirable  centre  of  resort  and  resi- 
dence. There  the  opulent  AYest  India  merchants  lived, 
and  the  great  real  estate  owners  and  bankei's,  the  Rhine- 
landers,  Jays,  Schnylers,  Lispenards,  Van  Rensselaers, 
and  leaders  of  society. 

Long  before  this  time,  Yanderbilt  had  attracted  great 
attention  among  the  rich  and  pushing  men  of  the  city. 


THE   EAKLY   MILLIOISTAIRES.  39 

111  a  qnaint  list  of  sncli  lie  is  tlius  mentioned:  "Cor- 
nelius Vaiiderbilt,  $750,000,  of  an  old  Dutch  root;  lias 
evinced  more  go-aheaditiveness  than  any  other  single 
Dutchman  ever  possessed.  It  takes  our  American  hot 
suns  to  clear  off  the  fogs  and  vapors  of  the  Zuyder-Zee 
and  wake  up  the  phlegm  of  a  descendant  of  old  Hol- 
land." There  were  sixteen  millionaires  in  the  list,  most 
of  them  now  forgotten.  Who  remembers  the  million- 
aires Brandegee,  Bowne,  Barclay,  Glover,  "Ward,  Leggett 
and  Parrish,  who  flourished  only  forty-five  years  ago  ? 

Captain  A^anderbilt  had  striven  to  give  all  his  chil- 
dren a  fair  education,  and  to  prepare  his  three  sons  to 
follow  in  his  footsteps  and  take  care  of  the  estate  he 
was  to  leave  behind  liini.  Of  these  last,  George,  the 
youngest,  was  his  favorite,  though,  when  lie  was  old 
enough,  he  sent  him  to  West  Point,  thus  apparently 
taking  him  out  of  the  line  of  the  commercial  succession. 

His  oldest  son,  William  II.,*  was  never  in  early  days 
regarded  with  great  favor  by  his  father.  He  seemed  to 
him  dull  and  commonplace,  and  in  his  candid  moments 
the  elder  Vanderbilt  was  accustomed  to  call  him  a  fool 
to  his  face.  He  usually  addressed  him  and  spoke  of  lain 
as  "  Billy ;  "  sometimes,  resentfully,  as  '•  Bill." 

The  second  son,  Cornelius  Jeremiah,  was  antipathetic 
to  his  father  in  all  things :  he  was  physically  weak,  and 
an  epileptic — moody,  irascible,  unstable,  indolent,  petu- 
lant, extravagant,  and  fond  of  the  gaming-table. 

The  strong  man  had  no  toleration  for  this  invalid 
ne'er-do-weel,  and  he  early  announced  that  no  son  of  his 
should  have  any  of  his  wealth  until  demonstrating  his 

*  William  Henry,  named  after  liis  father's  hero,  General  Harrison, 
who  had  won  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  ten  years  before. 


40  THE   YANDERBILTS. 

capacity  to  support  liimself  without  any  aid  from  him, 
Cornelius  always  wanted  money,  and  one  day,  during 
the  California  excitement  of  '49,  when  his  father,  as 
usual,  refused  his  demands,  he  ran  away,  and  shipped 
before  the  mast  for  the  land  of  gold.  He  went  around 
Cape  Horn,  and  the  voyage  tended  to  increase  his  physi- 
cal debility.  A  short  stay  was  enough,  and  lie  returned 
home  again,  only  to  be  arrested  on  his  arrival  by  his 
father  and  confined  as  a  lunatic  in  the  Bloomingdale  In- 
sane Asylum.  The  evidence  offered  to  prove  that  he 
was  crazy  was  that  he  had  used  his  father's  name  to 
procure  funds  when  suffering  from  want  in  Sacramento. 
The  incarceration  was  short,  and  his  father  thenceforth 
made  liim  a  moderate  annual  allowance,  increasing  it 
considerably  after  his  marriage  in  1S56.  Thus  Corne- 
lius J.  was  early  seen  to  be  a  failure,  and  the  exacting 
father  was  not  slow  in  assigning  "William  to  the  same 
category. 

The  Captain  was  not  only  the  incumbent  of  the 
throne,  but  the  power  behind  it  also.  He  ruled  home, 
wife,  and  children  with  a  rod  of  steel,  and  brooked  no 
disobedience  or  contradiction.  He  manifested  scant  af- 
fection for  his  children,  seldom  sought  their  love  or  con- 
fidence, and  treated  them  very  nearly  like  anybody's  else. 

After  William  was  born  at  ISew  Brunswick,  in  18:^1, 
liis  father  noticed  him  only  as  much  as  he  was  compelled 
to.  The  boy  went  to  the  country  school  for  four  or  five 
years,  but  he  M'as  not  apt  or  ambitious  in  his  studies, 
and  when  he  was  nine  went  with  father  and  family  to 
IS^ew  York.  Here  he  attended  the  Columbia  Grammar 
School,  and  got  some  of  the  rudiments  of  youthful 
learning.     At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  into  busi- 


AVILLIAM    H.    IN   THE   BANK.  41 

ness  in  a  small  way  as  a  sliip-cliaiidler  ;  but  when  he 
was  eighteen  his  father  transferred  him  as  a  clerk  to  the 
large  banking-house  of  Diew,  Kobinson  &  Co.,  in  Wall 
Street,  the  senior  partner  being  Daniel  Drew. 

Tlie  young  bank  clerk  recalled  the  inverted  compli- 
ments which  his  father  had  heaped  upon  him  from  time 
to  time,  and  he  resolved  to  disprove  their  applicability. 
He  worked  hard  from  morning  to  night.  He  was  not 
very  quick  to  comprehend  or  to  learn,  but  by  stubboi-n 
plodding  he  mastered  the  details  of  the  business,  and 
slowly  but  surely  won  the  approval  of  his  employers. 
His  salary  the  first  year  was  $150;  the  second  year  it 
was  $300  ;  and  the  third  year  it  was  made  $1,000. 

During  his  twentieth  year  his  affections  became  en- 
tangled with  those  of  Miss  Maria  Louisa  Ivissam,  an 
educated  young  woman,  and  the  daughter  of  a  Brooklyn 
clergyman,  and  her  he  married — of  course  against  the 
remonstrances  of  his  father. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  live  on  ?  "  incjuired  the  lat- 
ter. 

"Isineteen  dollars  a  week,*'  replied  the  son,  nothing 
daunted. 

"  Well,  Billy,  yon  are  a  fool,  just  as  I  always 
thought !  "  and  the  great  ship-owner  went  off  disgusted. 

The  young  bank  clerk  and  his  wife  lived  on  the  nineteen 
dollars  a  week  in  a  cheap  boarding-house  in  East  Broad- 
way. The  Captain  was  M'orth  a  million  dollars,  but 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  that  William  was  shiftless  and 
reckless,  and  going  to  the  dogs,  and  it  was  useless  to 
spend  money  in  trying  to  prevent  the  inevitable.  Or 
perhaps  he  thought.  If  I  give  him  money  now  he  will 
never  learn  those  important  lessons  which  only  Poverty 


42  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

teaches.  The  young  clei'k  strnggled  on,  and  his  yonng 
wife  proved  a  blessing  to  him  in  every  way.  His  home 
life,  thence  onwai'd  for  forty-live  years,  showed  a  whole- 
some and  agreeable  contrast  to  that  of  his  father,  who 
was  cold  and  suspicious,  and  whose  imperious  will  com- 
pelled everybody  about  him  to  move  as  he  directed. 
He  imagined  that  the  fact  that "  Billy  "  was  his  son  was 
the  cause  of  his  advancement  at  the  bank,  and  gave  him 
little  credit  for  it. 

Suddenly  William's  health  began  to  fail,  and  the  phy- 
sician notified  his  father  that  he  would  probably  die  if 
he  were  not  taken  from  the  confinement  at  the  bank. 

The  Captain  said,  "  Well,  Billy,  wdiat  next  ? " 
-  "  I  don't  know,"  said  the  young  husband,  "  but  I  can 
support  us  two  at  almost  anything." 

"  You  two  !  "  exclaimed  his  father  ;  "but  there'll  be 
more  than  two.  I  know  the  way  of  our  family.  You 
must  go  on  a  farm,  where  there'll  be  room." 

He  bought  a  little  farm  of  seventy  acres  of  unim- 
proved land  at  Kew  Dorp,  Staten  Island,  between  the 
old  Moravian  church  and  the  sea  ;  and  he  no  doubt  re- 
marked to  himself,  "  I  am  the  only  one  of  all  our  breed 
that  is  fit  for  anything  except  digging  in  that  dirt!" 
The  young  couple  accepted  the  gift  without  the  blessing, 
and  took  possession  of  the  lonely  little  homestead.  It 
stood  on  the  slope  of  the  southeast  shore  of  the  an- 
cestral island  ;  a  third  of  the  horizon  was  the  billowy 
sea,  and  straight  in  front  of  the  cottage,  toward  the 
summer  sunrise,  the  nearest  land  was  Spain. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM,  STEAMBOATS   TO   STEAMSHIPS. 

Running  Steamboats  in  all  Directions— To  California  via  the  Istli- 
mus — Worth  Ten  Million  Dollars — A  Yachting  Cruise  to  Europe — 
A  Line  Across  the  Atlantic— The  Mails — Lending  a  Vessel  to  the 
Government. 

Before  lie  Lad  readied  the  age  of  forty  lie  was  worth 
half  a  million  dollars.  He  had  a  score  of  vessels  in  com- 
mission, most  of  which  he  had  built  himself,  and  these 
were  of  so  superior  a  character  and  so  rapidly  increasing 
in  number. that  there  was  bestowed  npon  him  by  accla- 
mation the  title  of  "  Commodore."  This  honorary 
badge  of  distinction  he  wore  all  his  life,  and  the  designa- 
tion, first  applied  facetiously,  was  at  last  universally  em- 
ployed as  a  serious  recognition  of  his  worth  and  power. 
During  the  next  fifteen  years  he  launched  out  broadly 
upon  all  the  waters  around  ^ew  York.  He  ran  boats 
to  Albany,  sometimes  at  a  loss,  but  generally  at  a  profit, 
till  Robert  L.  Stevens  &  Son  '"^  bought  him  off.  He 
built  boats  of  new  models  and  of  great  power,  and  es- 
tablished lines  to  Bridgeport,  Norwalk,  Derby,  Xew 
Haven,  Hartford,  New  London,  Providence  and  iS^ew- 

*Tlie  Commodore  afterward  said  of  the  Stevenses,  "Thev  were 
the  greatest  projectors  of  their  day,  with  more  faith  than  Fulton,  or 
Livingston,  or  any  of  us.  They  projected  the  New  Jersey  Railroad 
and  Canal,  which  nobody  else  thought  would  ever  pay  a  dividend." 


44  THE    YANDEllBILTS. 

port,  and  even  Boston.  lie  reached  in  all  directions  for 
patronage,  and  the  snppl}^  was  equal  to  the  demand. 
From  1S40  to  1S50  he  made  a  great  deal  of  money. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  gold  fever  of  California  in 
1849,  the  Commodore  hastened  to  avail  himself  of  the 
opportunity  which  it  offered  to  the  enterprising  carrier. 
The  Pacific  Mail  Steaniship  Company  monopolized 
most  of  the  transportation  service,  running  steamers  in 
connection  with  both  shores  at  Panama.  The  price  for 
the  round  trip  was  $600,  and  the  service  was  verj^  bad. 
"  I  can  improve  on  that,"  said  Yanderbilt ;  "  1  can  make 
money  at  $300,  crossing  my  passengers  by  Lake  Nica- 
ragua, a  route  six  hundred  miles  shorter." 

He  built  a  fine  large  steamer,  the  Prometheus,*  and 
steamed  down  to  the  Ts  icaragua  crossing,  three  or  four 
hundred  miles  this  side  of  Panama,  dragging  a  small, 
side- wheel  steamboat,  the  Director,  in  tow.f  This  last 
was  for  transporting  passengers  across  Lake  Kicai'agua, 
which  is  a  hundred  miles  long  and  fifty  broad,  located 
among  the  tops  of  the  Andes.  How  to  get  the  boat  up 
into  the  lake  was  the  question.  The  San  Juan  River 
empties  out  of  it,  into  the  Caribbean  Sea,  near  where 
the  Prometheus  was  anchored,  but  no  boat  had  ever 
tried  to  ascend  it.  Yanderbilt  sent  his  engineers  to  ex- 
plore it.  They  were  gone  a  week,  and  reported  that 
the  stream  was  not  navigable ;  that  there  were  bars  and 
rocks,  fallen   trees   and  rapids   and  cascades   in  great 

*  This  was  tlie  first  steamer  ever  owned  by  an  individual. 

f  He  was  so  secretive  about  this  venture  that  he  ieft  home  in  1850, 
it  is  alleged,  without  bidding  good-by  to  his  wife.  She  missed  him 
and  made  inquiries,  found  that  the  steamer  had  gone,  whither  no  one 
knew,  and  that  he  had  been  recently  much  seen  studying  a  map  of 
Central  America.     In  three  weeks  he  was  heard  from,  via  Panama. 


THE    CALIFOIINIA    LINE.  45 

numbers  ;  bnt  that  tliey  might  drag  the  boat  along  by 
easy  stages,  and  cut  side  canals  around  the  places  that 
were  too  steep  to  climb. 

Tliis  report  disgusted  the  ISTapoleon  of  navigation, 
who  felt  that  he  was  losing  $5,000  a  day  by  the  delay. 
He  tired  up  the  little  Director,  boarded  her  with  thirty 
men,  and  announced  to  them  that  he  was  going  up  to 
the  lake"Mnthout  anymore  fooling."  The  engineers 
were  appalled,  but  on  he  went.  Sometimes  he  got  over 
the  rapids  by  putting  on  all  steam  ;  sometiines  when 
this  did  not  avail,  he  extended  a  heavy  cable  to  great 
trees  up  stream  and  warped  the  boat  over  in  that  way. 
Every  device  was  resorted  to.  On  returning  to  New 
York  the  engineers  reported  that  he  "  tied  down  the 
safety-valve  and  'jumped'  the  obstructions,  to  the  great 
terror  of  the 'whole  party." 

He  finally  got  to  the  lake  and  established  his  through 
line.  It  was  a  good  deal  like  the  old  Gibbons  line — 
a  boat  at  each  end  and  a  portage  between.  Then  came 
an  enormous  rush  of  passengers,  and  the  means  of  trans- 
portation were  increased.  Two  steamers  were  placed 
on  the  river,  the  Clayton  and  Buhver,  and  a  large  one, 
the  Central  America,  on  the  lake.  On  tlie  Atlantic 
side  the  Commodore  put  the  Prometheus,  which  was 
his  first  ocean-built  steamer,  the  Webster,  the  Star-of- 
the-West,  and  the  Northern  Light,  and  on  the  Pacific 
side  five  others.  He  started  a  boat  from  New  York 
every  fortnight,  and  soon  had  the  bulk  of  the  travel, 
making  large  sums  and  swelling  his  already  innnense 
fortune. 

He  made  more  than  a  million  dollars  a  year  in  Nic*a- 
ragua,  besides  the  revenue  from   other   enterprises    at 


46  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

the  same  time.  In  the  will  contest,  March  15,  1878, 
Jacob  J.  Yan  Pelt,  who  had  known  the  Commodore  for 
lif tj  years,  said :  "  I  remember  when  the  Commodore 
went  off  with  his  family  in  the  North  Star.  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  everything  fixed.  He  said  yes,  and  added : 
'Yan,  I  have  got  eleven  millions  invested  better  than 
any  other  eleven  millions  in  the  United  States.  It  is 
worth  twenty -five  per  cent,  a  year  M'ithout  any  risk.'" 

In  1853,  thinkin.g  he  deserved  a  holiday,  he  sold  out 
his  Nicaragua  route  to  the  Transit  Line,  and  celebrated 
his  commercial  success  by  going  to  Europe  in  the  world- 
renowned  North  Star,  the  largest  pleasure  steam-yacht 
that  had  ever  been  coifstructed.  It  was  a  vessel  of  two 
thousand  tons,  palatial  in  capacity  and  equipment.  Ac- 
companying him  were  his  wife,  and  eleven  children.* 

It  was  an  exhibition  to  Europe  of  a  notable  specimen 
of  republican  institutions.  The  steamer  was  the  largest 
that  liad  ever  been  afloat  at  that  timcf     It  was  con- 

*  1,  Pliebe  Jane,  wife  of  one  of  her  father's  steam-ship  captains ; 
2,  Ethelinda,  wife  of  D.  B.  Allen,  a  retired  merchant ;  3,  AVilliam 
H.  ;  4,  Emily,  wife  of  W.  K.  Thorne  ;  5,  Eliza,  Mrs.  Osgood  ;  6, 
Sophia,  wife  of  Daniel  Torrance,  a  Montreal  merchant;  7,  Marie  L., 
wife  of  Horace  F.  Clarke  ;  8,  Frances,  wlio  died  at  the  age  of  forty  ; 
9,  Maria  Elecia,  wife  of  N.  La  Ban  ;  10,  the  wife  of  Captain  Barker  ; 
11,  George,  the  yonngest, 

f  Tlie  steam-yacht  North  Star  was  built  exjiressly  for  the  pleasure 
excursion  to  Europe,  by  Commodore  Vanderbilt.  It  was  260  feet 
long  on  the  keel,  270  feet  on  the  spar-deck,  had  a  breadth  of  beam 
of  88  feet,  and  was  28  feet  G  inches  deep.  It  was  furnished  with  two 
lever-beam  engines,  and  had  four  boilers,  each  24  feet  long.  The 
main  saloon  was  fitted  up  with  satinwood  with  just  sufficient  rose- 
wood to  relieve  it.  Tlie  furniture  was  of  rosewood  carved  in  the 
.style  of  Louis  XV.,  and  upholstered  with  figured  i)lush  velvet,  a 
green  ground  filled  with  llowers.     The  two  sofas  cost  $o50  each  ;  the 


THE   GREAT   YACHT   CRUISE.  47 

strncted  on  American  models,  by  American  workmen, 
in  an  American  ship-yard,  and  was  commanded  l)y  the 
man  who  was  at  once  the  owner,  captain,  designer,  and 
builder,  himself  the  most  remarkable  .of  American 
products,  for  he  liad  risen  to  his  position  without  tho' 
aid  of  ancestry  behind  him  or  influential  friends  about 
him,  and  was  travelling  in  an  ocean  palace,  the  centi-e 
of  a  flock  of  children  equal  to  those  of  patriarchal  times. 
His  story,  repeated  from  nation  to  nation,  did  much  to 
stir  the  hopes  and  hearts  of  millions  of  peasants  and 
turn  their  eyes  across  the  western  sea.  Everywhere 
Vanderbilt  and  the  North  Star  were  received  with  hon- 
ors. It  was  difficult  to  make  the  people  of  Europe  be- 
lieve tliat  he  was  not  a  titled  personage ;  for  in  no  other 

four  couches  $300  eacli ;  aud  the  six  arm-chairs  $50  each.  There 
were  ten  elegant  state-rooms  connecting  with  the  saloon,  each  with  a 
large  ghass  door,  the  plate  being  40  by  04  inches,  and  costing  $100. 
The  berths  were  furnished  with  silk  lambrequins  and  lace  curtains. 
Each  room  was  in  a  di3erent  color,  as  green  and  gold,  crimson  and 
gold,  orange,  etc.  Forward  of  the  grand  saloon  was  a  magnificent 
dining-room.  The  walls  were  covered  with  a  preparation  of  "lig- 
neous marble,"  which  was  polished  to  a  degree  of  mirror-like  briglit- 
ness  that  marble  is  incapable  of  receiving.  The  panels  were  of 
Naples  granite,  resembling  jasper,  and  the  surbase  was  of  yellow 
Pyrenees  marble.  The  ceiling  was  white,  with  a  scroll-work  of  pur- 
ple, li_ght  green,  and  gold  surrounding  medallion  portraits  of  Webster, 
Clay,  Washington,  Franklin,  and  others.  The  china  was  of  ruby 
and  gold  finish,  and  the  silverware  was  the  finest  that  could  be  had. 
With  the  exception  of  a  chaplain  and  family  physician  with  their 
wives,  the  passengers  in  the  North  Star  were  all  members  of  the 
family  of  Captain  Vanderbilt,  twenty-three  persons  in  all.  The  cost 
of  this  excursion  was  half  a  million  of  dollars.  The  party  visited 
Southampton,  London,  Stockholm,  up  the  Neva  to  St.  Petersburg, 
then  back  to  Gibraltar,  and  on  to  Naples,  Malta,  Athens,  Constanti- 
nople and  Alexandria.     [For  further,  see  Appendix  C] 


48  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

way  could  tliey  account  for  the  magnificence  and  ele- 
gance in  wliicli  lie  moved. 

In  Southampton  he  was  honored  with  a  ceremonious 
dinner  at  wliich  two  hundred  sat  down,  many  of  theui 
the  best  known  publicists  of  England.  At  Boulogne, 
Marseilles,  and  Genoa  he  was  received  with  deep  and 
wide-spread  interest,  and  saluted  by  the  assembled  ship- 
ping. At  St.  Petersburg  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine 
and  the  Admiral  of  the  Russian  Navy  visited  the  ship 
and  obtained  permission  to  have  drawings  made  of  her 
model. 

At  Constantinople  the  officers  of  the  Sultan  were 
equally  inquisitive,  and  tendered  to  the  Commodore 
many  compliments,  doubtless  in  view  of  the  existing 
difficulties  with  "  the  Bear  of  the  North,"  and  the  need 
of  American  sympathy  in  the  preparations  being  made 
for  that  Crimean  War  which  broke  out  the  next  year. 

At  Leghorn,  under  the  dominion  of  Austria,  the 
North  Star  was  regarded  as  a  spy,  and  was  evenbelieve(i 
to  be  laden  with  munitions  of  war  for  the  enemy  at  the 
Bosphorus.  So  it  was  placed  under  surveillance,  frowned 
on  by  the  guns  of  an  Austrian  num-of-war,  and  when 
the  visitors  walked  abroad  in  Leghorn  they  were  es- 
corted by  a  military  officer  for  fear  of  unpleasant  acci- 
dents, with  a  crowd  of  the  ununiformed  sMrri  hovei'ing 
about  them. 

On  the  i-eturn  of  the  party  to  New  York,  the  Com- 
modore rounded  to  in  front  of  his  old  home  at  Stapleton, 
and  gave  a  royal  salute  to  his  venerable  mother,  who 
lived  in  the  little  brown  house  upon  the  slope — the 
mother  whose  wisdom  and  frugality  had  supplied  him 
with  $100  to  buy  his  first  "  periauger."     Then  he  went 


W.    II.    VANDERBII.T. 


ruNisniisrG  the  transit  company.  49 

off  in  a  boat  and  paid  Iior  an  affectionate  visit  before 
proceeding  on  his  way.  Within  three  months  the  old 
lady  died,  expressing  in  her  last  words  the  pride  and 
pleasure  she  felt  in  the  love  of  lier  rich  and  successful 
son.     [See  portrait.] 

He  now  found  himself  in  trouble  M'ith  the  Nicaragua 
Transit  Company,  to  which  he  had  sold  a  controlling 
interest  in  his  short  route  for  the  transportation  of  Cali- 
fornians.  The  men  to  whom  he  sold  had  got  rich,  and 
now  refused  to  pay  him  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
contract.  To  prosecute  them  under  the  forms  of  law 
would  be  an  interiuitional  affair,  and  would  involve  great 
expense  and  nmch  time.  So  the  Commodore  Avrote  them 
a  note,  which  for  brevity  and  energy  recalls  those  mar- 
velous epistles  of  twenty  words  which  Napoleon  uttered 
when  he  wrote  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  "  The  success  of 
my  arms  is  not  doubtful.  Your  troops  will  be  beaten." 
The  steamship  general  now  wrote  : 

Gentlejien  :  You  have  undertaken  to  cheat  me.  I  won't  sue 
you,  for  law  is  too  slow.     I  will  ruin  you. 

Yours  truly, 

CoKNELius  Van  Derbilt. 

He  kept  his  word.  He  put  on  another  fleet  of 
steamers,  and  in  two  years  the  opposition  line  was  ir- 
retrievably bankrupt.  Vanderbilt  remained  in  the  Cali- 
fornia shipping  business  nine  years  more,  making  money 
all  the  while,  and  accumulating  not  less  than  $10,000,000 
in  the  business.  At  this  time  a  remarkable  character 
appeared  on  the  Central  American  stage — the  filibuster. 
Walker.  Vanderbilt  refused  to  transport  his  men  or 
munitions.  Needing  some  money  to  carry  out  his  revo- 
4 


60  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

lutionary  schemos,  lie  seized  upon  tlie  Yanderbilt  fran- 
chise, and  arbitrarily  confiscated  it  and  resold  it  to 
creatures  of  his  own.  Yanderbilt  managed  to  save  his 
steamers  from  capture,  and  as  soon  as  possible  he  brought 
them  again  under  the  protection  of  the  stars  and  stripes  ; 
for  he  had  another  large  venture  on  his  hands  -which 
needed  attention. 

When  he  returned  from  Europe  he  found  the  Cri- 
mean war  already  broken  out.  The  Cunard  line  of 
steamers  had  been  withdrawn  for  service  between  Eng- 
land and  the  Black  Sea.  Collins  was  running  a  weekly 
line  of  very  good  American  steamers,  but  this  was  only 
half  the  service  required,  and  Vanderbilt  offered  to 
form  a  partnership  ^\^tll  him  and  put  on  two  more 
steamships.  Collins  declined  ;  he  feared  to  let  the  ter- 
I'ible  man  get  a  foothold  on  his  property, 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Commodore.  He  then  went 
to  Washington  and  offered  to  put  on  two  Atlantic 
steamers,  running  once  a  fortnight,  if  Congress  would 
pay  him  for  carrying  the  mail  the  same  that  the  Eng- 
lish steamers  had  been  getting— 116,000  a  trip.  The 
Collins  line  (American)  was  running,  and  receiving  for 
the  mail  $33,000  a  trip,  and  Mr.  Collins  now  visited 
Yanderbilt  to  beg  him  not  to  bring  down  the  price. 
"If  you  will  charge  $33,000,"  said  Collins,  "  I  will  back 
your  bill  with  my  whole  Congressional  influence,  and 
Ave  can  pass  it." 

"No,"  said  the  inexorable  Commodore;  "my  motive 
is  a  patriotic  one.  If  an  Englishman  can  carry  the 
mails  for  $10,000, 1  can.  I  won't  admit  that  a  Bi'itisher 
can  beat  us." 

"It  is  not  business,  Connuodore,"  said   the  man  of 


AN    OCEAN"    LINE    OF    STEAMERS.  51 

subsidy,  "  to  take  ^16,000  when  yon  can  get  twice  that. 
1  can't  make  it  pay  as  it  is." 

"  Then  yon  are  probably  in  a  business  that  yon  don't 
understand,"  persisted  the  Coniniodoro ;  "  let  nic  try  it." 

In  response  to  Collins's  ui-gency  he  substituted  another 
proposition,  whieli  he  called  a  "  compromise,"  to  carry 
the  mails  for  it;19,750  a  round  trip,  and  agree  that  he 
should  not  be  paid  anything  if  he  failed  to  beat  the 
Collins  steamers  every  trip. 

But  he  could  not  get  even  this  measure  through  Con- 
gress. The  Collins  subsidy  influence  was  too  strong. 
Yet  he  was  not  embittered,  and  when  the  Arctic  was 
lost  he  offered  his  rival  the  North  Star  for  nothing,  till 
he  could  replace  her.  Then  he  calmly  went  to  work, 
built  three  Atlantic  steamers,  finer  and  faster  than  any 
in  the  world,  and  organized  a  new  line  from  Xew  York 
to  Havre.  These  vessels  were  the  Ariel,  the  Harvest 
Queen,  and  the  never-to-be-forgotten  Yanderbilt ;  and 
their  accommodations  were  so  palatial,  and  their  speed 
so  great,  that  they  became  the  favorites  of  travellers. 

The  ocean  races  of  this  time  were  most  exciting,  and 
attracted  world-wide  attention.  The  racers  of  the  Col- 
lins' line  were  the  Arabia  and  Persia,  and  those  of  the 
Havre  line  the  Yanderbilt  and  the  Ariel.  The  Commo- 
dore's steamers  made  the  quickest  time  nine  trips  out 
of  ten. 

Then  he  proclaimed  his  grand  coup.  He  offered  to 
carry  the  foreign  mails  for  nothing.  This  struck  terror 
to  the  heart  of  Collins.  President  Pierce  vetoed  his 
subsidy,  and  the  "  Collins  Line  "  disappeared  from  the 
ocean. 

Yanderbilt  did  not  seize  upon  the  Atlantic  cari-ying 


52  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

trade  as  it  was  expected  he  would  do  Avlien  lie  got  such 
a  firm  hold  of  it.  He  v;as  not  a  man  of  sentiment  or  of 
chimeras.  There  was  nothing  Quixotic  about  him.  He 
carefully  examined  the  business,  and  concluded  that  it 
"  wouldn't  pay  to  push  it."  So  he  sold  some  of  his  ves- 
sels, transferred  some  to  other  lines  of  travel,  and  grad- 
ually began  to  withdraw  his  money  from  shipping,  where 
it  must  always  suffer  from  European  competition,  and 
invest  it  in  railroads  which  were  protected  fi'om  the  ri- 
valry of  half-paid  Italians  and  Scandinavians.  When 
the  Kebellion  broke  upon  the  country,  a  good  many  of 
his  investments  had  already  been  transferred  from  the 
water  to  the  land,  so  that  his  prosperity  suffered  no 
shock.* 

He  was  now  an  old  man  ;  but  his  usefulness  was  not 
3'et  over.  When  the  rebel  ram,  Merrimac,  burst  out  of 
its  hiding-place,  and  made  such  fearful  havoc  among 

*  In  1818  Mr.  Vauderbilt  attended  to  the  building  of  tlie  steamer 
Bellona,  of  wliicli  lie  was  fifterward  Captain.  He  afterward  bxiilt 
many  other  steamships,  as  follows:  In  1820,  the  Caroline;  1821, 
the  Fanny  ;  1822,  the  Thistle  and  Emerald  ;  1824,  the  Swan ;  1826, 
tiie  Citizen ;  1827-28,  the  Cinderella,  Bolivar,  Clifton,  Clayton, 
Union,  Chamjiion,  New  Champion,  Nimrod,  Hunchback,  Living- 
ston, Director,  Cleopatra,  Westchester,  Sound  Champion,  Linnaes, 
North  Carolina,  Governor  Dudley,  Vanderbilt,  and  Gibraltar,  the 
four  last  for  the  regular  mail  line  between  Washington  and  Charles- 
ton. Then  followed  the  Gladiator,  Kill  von  KuU,  Central  America, 
Sylph,  Westfield,  Augusta,  Wilmington,  Red  Jacket,  Traveller,  Hugue- 
not, Graysia,  Hannah  Burt,  Eastern,  C.  Vanderbilt,  and  Commodore, 
the  last  two  forming  the  great  Boston  line,  via  Stonington.  He  next 
placed  on  the  route  across  the  Isthmus  eight  steamships,  and  the  five 
vessels  that  ran  between  Havana  and  Matanzas.  He  also  built  the 
Prometheus,  Daniel  Webster,  Star  of  the  West,  Northern  Light,  and 
North  Star.  At  this  time  he  gave  employment  to  more  men  than  any 
otlier  one  man  in  the  country. 


HEADING    OFF   THE   MERHOIAC.  63 

onr  frigates  in  Hampton  Roads,  great  was  the  conster- 
nation in  AV^ashington.  Ericsson's  little  Monitor,  arriv- 
ing at  Fortress  Monroe  in  the  nick  of  time,  had  driven 
the  monster  into  his  cave,  hnt  it  was  feared  that  he 
would  emerge  again  presently  and  continue  tlie  devasta- 
tion. 

Thurlow  Weed  was  at  the  Capital  at  the  time,  and  he 
telegraphed  to  Commodore  Yanderbilt,  with  whom  lie 
had  already  been  associated  in  the  work  of  sending  sol- 
diers to  the  front.  The  Commodore  went  at  once.  On 
liis  arrival,  he  was  taken  into  the  presence  of  the  Presi- 
dent, whom  he  found  in  great  distress  and  alarm.  His 
attention  was  called  to  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Fort- 
ress Monroe,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  asked  : 

"  How  mnch  will  you  take  to  stop  that  rebel  ram 
and  keep  it  away  ?  " 

"  No  money  will  hire  me  to  do  it,"  said  the  visitor.  "  I 
will  not  make  money  out  of  the  sorrows  of  my  country." 

The  President  was  perplexed  and  silent,  but  the  Com- 
modore presently  said:  "I  have  a  ship  that  I  believe 
will  take  care  of  that  devil.  If  you  will  man  it  I  will 
take  the  command,  and  go  down  there  and  do  the  busi- 
ness up  myself.  I  ask  only  that  I  may  be  free  from  the 
bossing  of  the  Xavy  Department." 

Instant  relief  was  felt  and  expressed.  He  returned 
to  i^ew  York  on  the  first  train,  and  in  thirty-six  hours 
lie  was  steaming  past  Fortress  Monroe  into  the  mouth 
of  the  James  River,  and  the  admiral  in  chai'ge  looked 
inquiringly  and  admiringly  at  the  steamer  whose 
shadow  loomed  over  the  water  like  a  great  cloud.  Tlie 
Commodore  was  then  sixty-seven  years  old,  and  the  ship 
was  his  sturdy  namesake,  the  Vanderbilt.     She  was  the 


54  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

pride  of  his  lieart,  tlie  concentrated  result  of  all  his 
matured  knowledge  of  ship-building. 

lie  showed  his  credentials.  The  officer  in  charge 
asked  him  what  he  proposed  to  do  if  the  Merrimac 
should  reappear.  "  Run  her  down,"  he  said,  "  as  a 
hound  runs  down  a  wolf ;  strike  her  amidships  and 
sink  her." 

"  How  can  1  help  you  ?  " 

"  Only  by  keeping  out  of  the  way  when  I  am  hunt- 
ing the  cutter." 

The  Merrimac  was  seen  no  more.  She  kept  her  hid- 
ing-place. After  the  danger  was  over,  the  Commodore 
returned  home,  and  was  superseded  by  a  naval  officer. 
He  wrote  and  offered  the  vessel  to  the  government  till 
the  war  should  be  over,  and  the  offer  was  gladly  ac- 
cepted. Wlien  the  Alabama  commenced  her  ravages, 
the  Yanderbilt,  now  equipped  as  a  war-vessel,  went  after 
lier  and  hunted  her  for  twelve  months. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  during  which  Vanderbilt 
had  made  great  contributions,  and  had  given  the  life  of 
his  favorite  son,  the  government,  instead  of  returning 
the  borrowed  vessel  to  her  owner,  had  her  mustered  into 
the  United  States  Navy,  and  formally  returned  thanks 
for  tlie  present ! 

The  followino;  are  the  resolutions  of  Cono-ress  : 

"  WIte}'eas,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  of  New  York,  did,  during 
the  spring  of  1862,  make  a  free  gift  to  his  imiDerilled  couutiy  of 
his  new  and  stanch  steamship  Vanderbilt,  of  five  thousand  tons 
burden,  built  by  him,  with  the  greatest  care,  of  the  best  mate- 
rial, at  a  cost  of  $800,000,  which  steamship  has  ever  since  been 
actively  employed  in  the  sei-vice  of  the  republic  against  rebel 
devastations  of  her  commerce,  and 


THANKED   UY   CONGRESS.  65 

"  inm'eas,  the  said  Covnelius  Yandorbilt  has  in  no  manner 
songht  any  requital  of  this  magnificent  gift  or  any  official  recog- 
nition thereof ;  therefore 

"  BESOii\'ED,  By  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  the  thanks 
of  Congress  be  presented  to  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  for  his  unique 
manifestation  of  a  fervid  and  large-soulod  patriotism. 

"Eesolved,  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  be  re- 
quested to  cause  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck  which  shall  fitly 
embody  an  attestation  of  the  nation's  gratit^ide  for  this  gift, 
which  medal  shall  be  forwarded  to  Cornelius  Vanderbilt ;  and  a 
copy  of  it  shall  be  made  and  deposited  for  preservation  in  the 
Library  of  Congress." 

An  "appropriate"  medal  was  struck  of  solid  gold, 
weio'liing  six  oimces,  and  measuring  three  inches  across. 
On  the  reverse  is  the  likeness  of  the  donor,  or,  ratlier, 
of  tlie  former  owner  of  tlie  vessel,  and  the  legend  "  A 
grateful  country  to  her  generous  son,"  and  on  the  ob- 
verse, in  has  reliefs  the  figure  of  Columbia  with  Xep- 
tune  laying  his  trident  at  her  feet,  and  the  motto,  ^''  Bis 
dat  qui  tenipori  dat "  (he  gives  best  who  gives  quickly), 
and  in  the  back-ground  a  correct  outline  of  the  steamer 
Vanderbilt. 

The  Congressional  Committee  authorized  to  present 
him  with  the  resolutions  and  tlie  twenty-five-dollar 
medal  had  rather  a  stormy  time  of  it.  lie  rehearsed 
the  particulars  of  the  theft,  and  asked  them  if  that  was 
the  way  a  great  and  noble  nation  ouglit  to  conduct  itself. 
Some  of  them  declared  that  they  liad  misunderstood, 
and  wanted  to  return  the  vessel.  "  Xo  !  devil  take  your 
impudence  !  "  shouted  the  Commodore,  "  keep  her.  I 
don't  care  about  a  little  thing  like  that !  " 

Commodore  Vanderbilt  was  now  one  of  the  richest 


56  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

men  in  Xew  York,  l^early  a  linndred  vessels  answered 
to  his  call.  His  keels  fretted  every  sea.  lie  never 
speculated,  but  always  bought  property  to  improve  it. 
He  was  not  content  unless  everything  that  he  owned 
prospered.  The  magnates  of  Wall  Street  began  to  look 
at  his  great  wealth  with  an  inquiring  eye,  for  when  the 
Rebellion  broke  out  he  was  worth  not  less  than  twenty 
millions  of  dollars. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TWENTY  YEARS   A   FARMER. 

William  at  New  Dorp,  Staten  Island — The  Farm — Energy  and  Econ- 
omy— The  Seat  on  tlie  Fence — A  Mortgage  and  Consequent 
Wrath  —  "  Four  Dollars  a  Load" — A  Spurt  on  the  Road— A  New 
House — The  Farm  Pays. 

AYhen,  ill  18412,  William  II.  Yanderbilt  went  to  his 
farm  on  the  southeast  shore  of  Staten  Island,  at  the 
foot  of  the  lane  leading  from  the  New  Dorp  chnrch  to 
the  beach,  he  was  no  better  off  in  this  woi'ld's  goods 
than  his  farming  neighbors.  Indeed,  he  was  poorer 
than  most  of  them.  The  house  to  which  he  took  his 
yomig  wife,  and  in  which  he  lived  till  ISO-Jr,  was  a  small, 
square,  plain,  two-stoiy  structure  facing  the  sea,  with  a 
lean-to  at  one  end  for  a  kitchen.  All  told,  it  could  hardly 
have  contained  more  than  five  rooms — about  as  many 
as  that  in  which,  two  generations  before,  his  grandfather 
had  reared  his  family  at  Stapleton,  five  miles  north 
across  the  fields. 

The  little  farm  was  a  part  of  the  neglected  barrens  of 
Staten  Island,  and  needed  abundant  fertilizing  and  care- 
ful tillage  to  render  it  fruitful.  Fortunately,  it  proved 
tolerably  easy  to  cultivate.  It  was  almost  as  level  as  a 
house-floor,  without  a  stone  or  stump,  and  the  soil  a  thin 
sandy  loam.  Then,  as  now,  there  were  but  few  trees  on 
the  place,  and  these  mostly  clustered  about  the  front  of 


58  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

tlie  house,  or  fringed  the  lane  leading  up  to  the  road. 
Then,  as  now,  all  of  these  shore  farms  had  a  hit  of 
woodland  back  on  the  hills,  sufficient  to  furnish  fence- 
rails  and  fuel  for  the  winter's  fires. 

From  the  first,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  determined  to  make  a 
success  of  farming.  He  was  poor,  but  he  meant  to  be 
better  off.  The  house  was  small,  but  he  resolved  that 
it  should  be  larger.  The  land  was  poor,  but  he  planned 
how  to  enrich  it  and  make  it  profitable.  He  was  un- 
known and  unnoticed,  but  he  meant  by-and-by  to  be  on 
a  social  and  financial  equality  with  his  neighbors. 

His  method  was  novel  in  that  region.  He  never 
worked  much  with  his  own  hands,  following  the  plow 
or  hoeing  corn,  but  he  took  care  that  those  whom  he 
employed  did  a  good  day's  M'ork,  and  he  was  always 
master  of  the  situation.  He  was  what  is  called  "  a  gen- 
tleman farmer  ; "  l>ut  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  to 
the  business  in  hand,  and  got  as  much  as  it  was  possible 
to  get  out  of  his  narrow  acres. 

One-of  his  old  farm-hands  say^  :  "  He  was  a  hard  mas- 
ter to  work  for.  He  would  hire  fresh  hands  in  the 
spring  or  during  haying  '  on  trial,'  and  naturally  they 
would  take  care  to  produce  a  good  impression  with  their 
first  day's  work.  At  night  Mr.  Vanderbilt  would  count 
the  number  of  rows  of  corn  they  had  hoed,  or  the 
number  of  bales  of  hay  they  had  pressed,  and  then  re- 
quire them  to  do  the  same  amount  of  work  every  day.'^ 
He  would  tolerate  no  shirk  on  the  place ;  and  if  a  man 
did  not  come  up  to  his  requirements,  he  was  paid  off 
and  discharged. 

"  Billy,"  said  the  Commodore,  visiting  him  one  day, 
"  I  think  you  work  your  men  too  hard." 


AN   EXACTING   BOSS.  59 

"  They  are  willing  to  work  hard  if  I  have  the  money 
to  pay  them,"  was  the  I'eply,  and  the  old  millionaire  M^as 
no  doubt  secretly  pleased. 

"  He  was  a  downright  square  man,"  says  one  who 
worked  for  him  for  twenty  years,  "  sociable,  reliable, 
honest,  prompt  to  pay,  quick  to  recognize  merit.  I  don't 
want  any  better  boss." 

lie  looked  sharply  after  liis  men,  and  allowed  none  to 
idle.  His  favorite  occupation  was  to  sit  upon  the  top 
rail  of  the  fence  surrounding  the  field,  and  whittle  a 
stick  or  read  a  newspaper  while  watching  the  men.  All 
the  neighbors  laughed  at  this  method  of  tilling  the 
earth,  and  even  the  workmen  had  their  quiet  fun  over 
it.  One  of  these,  still  living,  tells  a  story  to  the  young 
farmei"'s  disadvantage.  He  was  directed  one  afternoon 
to  repair  the  fence  where  they  were  planting  corn,  and 
he  adjusted  the  top  rails  with  their  sharp  edges  up.  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  came  out  in  the  morning  as  the  men  went  to 
work,  and  walked  all  round  the  field  looking  for  a  com- 
fortable place  to  sit. 

"  How's  this  ?  "  he  shouted  to  the  fence-builder. 
"  What  did  you  put  all  the  rails  on  this  way  for — sharp 
edge  up  ? " 

"  Because,"  answered  the  man,  as  his  fellows  began  to 
titter,  "  so's  folks  won't  be  coming  along  and  sitting  on 
'em  and  wearing  'em  out." 

He  was  already  fond  of  horses,  and  at  times  lie  rode 
behind  the  mowing-machine ;  and  every  afternoon 
about  four  o'clock  he  went  for  a  drive  along  the  smooth 
roads  of  Staten  Island.  Society,  finance,  the  great  city, 
the  world  beyond  the  bay,  seemed  to  have  no  attrac- 
tions for  him.    He  was  essentially  a  domestic  man,  lived 


60  THE   YANDERBILTS. 

largely  in  the  midst  of  liis  farnilj,  and  spent  all  his 
evenings  at  home.  On  Sniidays  he  took  his  wife  and 
his  growing  children  hehind  liira,  and  had  a  spin  np 
the  island  to  the  Episcopal  clinrch  at  Clifton,  passing 
the  little  Moravian  clmrch  of  his  ancestors  on  the  way. 
The  farming  experiment  was  a  success.  He  had  in  five 
years  transformed  the  wastes  of  his  little  farm  into  a 
blooming  garden.  The  seventy  acres  returned  a  fair  in- 
come, and  enabled  him  to  support  liis  family  well,  and 
to  keep  the  best  horses  on  tlie  island.  But  he  was  am- 
bitious to  enlarge  the  fiekl  of  his  operations,  and  through 
a  friend  he  applied  to  his  millionaire  father  for  a  loan 
of  $5,000. 

"  No  !  "  was  the  answer.  "  It  is  just  as  I  expected. 
He  is  a  lazy  spendthrift,  and  will  never  amount  to  any- 
thing." 

William  then  borrowed  $6,000  of  a  neighbor,  gave  a 
mortgage  on  liis  farm  for  it,  and  bought  enough  of  the 
adjoining  land  to  give  him  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 
He  also  enlarged  his  house.  The  neighbor  of  whom  he 
borrowed  the  money  was  more  talkative  than  discreet. 
In  the  grocery  down  at  the  village  he  took  the  large 
note  from  his  pocket  and  exhibited  it,  casually  remark- 
ing: "Some  folks  says  that  Cornele  Yanderbilt  is  wuth 
two  million  dollars  or  more,  and  there's  folks  that  be- 
lieved it.  Well,  mebby  he  is ';  but  you  can't  tell  how  much 
them  New  Yorkers  is  wuth — nor  how  little  neither." 

The  old  man  heard  of  the  speech,  and  the  next  Sun- 
day he  drove  down  to  New  Dorp  and  asked  his  agricult- 
ural son  to  go  outriding  with  him.  The  invitation  was 
accepted,  and  a  conversation  ensued,  which  was  told  of 
afterward  by  the  unhappy  son. 


REPROACHES   AND   HELP.  61 

"  Billy,  have  you  borrowed  money  of  that old 

fool  ? " 

"  Yes,  father  ;  I  couldn't  help  it." 

"  You  know  what  I  think  of  such  things  ?  " 

"  Yes,  father ;  but " 

"  Bill,  you  don't  amount  to  a  row  of  pins  !  You 
won't  never  be  able  to  do  anything  but  bring  disgrace 
upon  yourself,  and  your  family,  and  everybody  con- 
nected with  3'ou.  There's  nothing  to  you,  and  Tve 
made  up  my  mind  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with 
you  ! " 

Wlieu  he  had  a  chance  to  speak  the  young  farmer  re- 
marked that  he  had  done  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of ; 
that  the  mortgage  was  a  business  operation,  and  he 
could  and  should  pay  it  off  when  due  ;  that  he  had  al- 
ways tried  to  please  his  father,  and  should  need  no 
money  from  liim  at  any  time. 

The  next  morning  the  Commodore  sent  him  a  check 
for  the  86,000,  with  the  remark  that  he  was  ''  lending  a 
little  on  real  estate  himself  just  now,"  and  orders  to  his 
son  to  pay  off  the  mortgage  before  he  slept. 

In  farming  William  II.  Vanderbilt  gave  his  atten- 
tion chiefly  to  hay,  corn,  potatoes,  and  oats.  Sometimes 
he  raised  annually  some  1:00  tons  of  timothy,  1,500  bar- 
rels of  potatoes,  1,000  bushels  of  corn,  and  10  aci-es  of 
oats.  Some  years  he  had  a  good-sized  patch  of  cab- 
bages, the  product  of  which  he  sold  ia  Clifton.  He  M'as 
not  a  "  truck-farmer,"  growing  only  enough  vegetables 
for  his  own  nse,  and  keeping  enough  cows  to  supply  his 
family  wants. 

At  first  he  took  his  hay  and  corn  up  to  Xew  York  on 
echooners,  and  sold   them  in  open   market ;  but  when 


62  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

liis  father  became  interested  in  the  horse-rail  way  he 
had  a  sure  market,  at  top  prices,  for  all  he  could  raise. 
During  the  war  he  made  money  rapidly,  selling  all  of  his 
hay  to  the  Government  at  Camp  Scott,  on  the  island, 
where  Sickles's  Brigade  was  formed,  and  disposing  of 
his  potatoes  at  the  rate  of  $0  a  barrel. 

In  a  bargain  made  about  this  time  he  got  ahead  of 
his  father  and  turned  toward  himself,  temporarily  at 
least,  some  of  that  gentleman's  admiration.  His  fertil- 
izing matei'ial  he  obtained  from  the  city,  and  one  day 
he  got  some  from  the  Fouilh  Avenue  stables  and  car- 
ried it  down  on  a  scow\  The  next  day  he  saw  his  father 
and  asked  him  how  much  he  would  charge  for  ten  loads. 

"What'll  you  give?"  asked  the  Commodore. 

".It's  worth  $4:  a  load  to  me,"  said  the  farmer. 

"  Good  enough,  I'll  let  yon  have  it  for  that,"  answered 
the  railroad  man,  having  a  very  decided  impression  that 
the  price  named  was  at  least  twice  as  much  as  the  stuff 
M^as  worth. 

Kext  day  he  found  his  rustic  son  with  another  scow 
just  loaded  for  home. 

"  How  many  loads  have  you  got  on  that  scow,  Billy  ? " 
asked  the  Commodore,  in  excellent  humor. 

"  How  many  ? "  i-epeated  the  son,  feigning  surprise, 
"  one,  of  course." 

"One!  why  there's  at  least  thirty ! "  the  old  gentle- 
man exclaimed,  inspecting  it  curiously. 

"  Xo,  father,  I  never  put  bnt  one  load  on  a  scow — one 
scow-load  !     Cast  off  the  lines,  Pat !  " 

The  senior  Vanderbilt  made  no  reply.  He  would  let 
it  go  so,  and  Bill  should  have  the  rest  of  it.  He  was 
struck  dumb  with  a  mixture  of  cham-in  and  frratiiica- 


THE   COMMODOr.E   ASTONISHED.  68 

tion.  The  workman  "who  narrates  the  incident  a<l<ls: 
"The  Commodore  wa'n't  no  gret  hand  to  stan'  aronnd, 
and  1  never  see  him  stan'  still  so  long  before  as  he  stood 
that  afternoon  on  the  dock,  looking  at  thort  scow  goin' 
across  the  harbor."  He  was  probably  sizing  np  "  Billy  " 
anew,  and  wondering  whether  he  might  not  make  a 
railroad  man  after  all. 

At  one  time  Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  deeply  interested  in 
a  gentleman's  clnb,  of  which  he  was  made  president,  and 
which  had  a  trotting-coni-se  on  his  farm,  near  the  beach. 
ISTone  bnt  members  were  admitted,  and  these  consisted 
of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  the  island.  Yanderbilt's 
liorses  were  considered  the  best. 

He  had  conformed  to  his  father's  taste  in  I'aising 
choice  stock  and  good  horses.  He  became  very  fond  of 
horse-flesh,  and  had  a  pair  that  he  felt  sure  nothing  on 
the  island  could  pass.  He  was  not  in  the  habit  of  tak- 
ing anybody's  dust.  One  day  when  he  was  out  on  the 
road  exercising  his  favorite  span,  and  passing  every- 
thing upon  the  waj',  he  suddenly  became  half  conscious 
of  rolling  wheels  behind  him.  The  half  consciousness 
of  rolling  wheels  soon  became  full  consciousness  of  ap- 
proaching wheels.  "  Aha !  "  he  said  to  himself,  "  some- 
body around  here  has  got  a  new  team.  I'll  show 
them  !  "  And  he  drew  tighter  those  leathern  conductors 
which  convey  the  purpose  of  a  driver  to  an  intelligent 
and  spirited  horse,  and  as  liis  speed  increased  he  re- 
sumed the  conversation  with  his  companion.  In  a  jnin- 
nte  he  felt  that  the  wheels  were  gaining  on  him,  and  he 
uttered  to  his  team  that  sound  of  encouragement  which 
the  horse  knows  so  well,  "  t — ck  !  t— ck  !  "  following  it 
with  a  "  G'-long !  "     The  buggy  spun  over  the  smooth 


64  TJIE   YAXDERBILTS. 

road,  and  "William  complacently  thought  that  the  myste- 
rious wheels  had  vanished.  Kot  so.  Their  solid  thump 
behind  him  grew  painfully  distinct,  and  he  drew  from 
the  socket  the  whip  and  gave  a  couple  of  smart  cuts  to 
those  astonished  horses  that  had  not  been  struck  before 
in  a  year  ;  and  he  remarked  to  his  guest,  "  They  are  not 
feeling  very  well  to-day."  No  use  ;  the  spinning  vehi- 
cle buzzed  nearer  and  neai'er,  the  noses  of  the  mysteri- 
ous steeds  M-ere  opposite  his  seat.  He  half  turned  and 
glanced  at  them  out  of  a  corner  of  his  eye,  then  hauled 
up  and  exclaimed,  "  Why,  father !  It's  you,  is  it  ?  I 
M'ondered  who  on  earth  it  could  be !  " 

"  Yes,  it's  me,  Billy.  Them's  good  horses  of  yours, 
but  you  must  give  'em  some  more  oats  before  you  go 
out  racing  ! " 

Mr.  Yanderbilt  took  no  part  in  politics  or  public  af- 
fairs, and  is  not  known  ever  to  have  made  a  speech  in 
his  life.  In  1855  he  reconstructed  the  old  farm-house 
of  five  rooms,  and  made  large  additions,  more  than 
doubling  it  in  size  ;  the  whole  forming  a  country  villa  in 
the  Italian  style,  with  tower,  piazzas,  bay-window,  etc. 
He  used  to  regard  it  as  the  finest  house  in  the  country, 
and  expected  and  hoped  to  end  his  days  there.  Within 
these  walls  all  of  his  children  were  born,  and  there  he 
spent  the  happiest  days  of  his  life. 

He  M^as  no  longer  a  poor  farmer.  He  had  proved  a 
success.  Years  before  he  M'as  called  by  his  father  to 
engage  in  those  vast  affairs  which  finally  crushed  the 
life  out  of  him,  he  had  become  an  independent  man — a 
farmer  of  ample  means  and  plenty  of  money  for  all  his 
wants,  who  afforded  himself  the  luxury  of  a  coachman, 
tine  horses,  and  various  sorts  of  ec^uipages.     !Now  and 


A   SUCCESSFUL   FARMER.  65 

then  a  large  entertainment  was  given  at  the  farni- 
liouse,  with  a  city  caterer ;  trees  were  liung  full  of  Chi- 
nese lanterns,  and  guests  were  present  from  all  parts  of 
the  island. 

When  he  finally  abandoned  the  farm  to  go  to  Xew 
York,  it  was  yielding  him  an  income  of  §12,000  a  year, 
or  SI, 000  a  month,  or  83-i  a  day,  or  81.-1:2  an  hour 
(in  the  impressive  method  of  calculating  revenues  which 
lias  of  late  come  so  much  in  vogue\  contrary  to  the  pre- 
dictions and  expectations  of  the  exacting  and  skeptical 
millionaire. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

WILLIAM'S   APPRENTICESHIP. 

Tlie  Staten  Island  Railroad — Its  Ruin  and  Regeneration — Death  of 
Captain  George — An  Obedient  Son — New  Schemes. 

Four  or  five  jears  before  tlie  war  an  event  occurred 
having  an  important  bearing  on  this  history.  Largely 
through  the  efforts  of  William  II.  Vanderbilt  the  Staten 
Island  Railroad,  thirteen  miles  long,  was  built,  skirting 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  island  from  Vanderbilt's  Land- 
ing. It  was  a  great  public  convenience,  and  was  indis- 
pensable to  the  development  of  the  island,  but  shortly 
it  was  well-nigh  M-i-ecked  by  the  gross  mismanagement 
of  its  officers  and  directors.  It  was  overwhelmed  with 
debts  and  embarrassments ;  and,  as  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  of  its  projectors  and  stock- 
holders, and  his  father  was  a  large  owner,  it  was  unani- 
mously decided  to  make  him  receiver  of  the  bankrupt 
road.  It  is  reported  and  understood  that  the  proposition 
came  from  his  father,  who  still  had  a  lingering  cui'iosity 
to  know  whether  there  was  "anything  in  Billy."  AVith- 
out  hesitation  the  farmer  accepted  the  ti-ust.  lie  had 
had  no  experience  as  a  railroad  manager,  but  he  possessed 
hard  sense  and  business  capacity,  and  there  M'as  general 
confidence  in  him. 

He  went  at  the  Nvork  Avith  much  enero-v.      He  re- 


FIRST    RAILROAD    MANAGEMENT.  67 

dnced  expenses  at  once ;  practised  rigid  economy ;  stopped 
all  leaks  ;  discovered  new  sonrces  of  patronage ;  con- 
nected tlie  road  with  New  York  by  an  independent  line 
of  ferry-boats,  and  began  to  pay  off  the  claims.  The 
little  road  was  without  money,  without  credit,  without 
materials,  without  organization  ;  but  he  introduced  sys- 
tem, and  in  two  years  of  the  hardest  times  he  had  paid 
off  the  last  dollar  of  indebtedness,  and  put  the  company 
on  a  secure  and  permanent  financial  basis.  Then,  by  ac- 
clamation, he  was  made  President  of  the  road  and  con- 
tinued successfully  to  administer  its  affairs.^  It  ma}'- 
well  be  believed,  as  is  alleged,  that  his  father  looked  on 
with  astonishment.  Chagrin  may  even  have  been  mixed 
with  his  surprise,  and  a  suspicion  that  he  might  have 
made  an  erroneous  estimate  of  the  qualities  of  his  son. 
It  was  probably  at  this  time  that  he  began  slowly  to 
revise  his  old  conclusions.  "  Is  that  the  fool  of  the 
famil}'  ? ''  he  said  to  himself.  "  Or  have  I  made  a 
mistake  ? " 

Another  thing  happened  which  seriously  affected  the 
Commodore.  His  youngest  son,  the  West  Point  cadet, 
George,  in  whose  high  future  he  had  great  hopes,  went 
to  the  war,  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain,  and  broke  down 
from  exposure  in  the  field  in  front  of  Corinth.  He  had 
been  one  of  the  most  athletic  young  men  that  ever 
graduated  from  our  military  college  ;  he  was  tall,  pow- 
erful, and  on  his  twenty-second  birthday  lifted  a  dead 
weight  of  nine  hundred  pounds.  But  the  hardships  of 
the  war  were  too  much  for  the  young  captain,  and  he 
was  now  sent  to  Europe  to  save  his  imperiled  life.     He 

*  When  he  took  hold  of  the  road  it  was  worth  less  than  nothing, 
and  in  five  years  its  stock  sold  at  $175  a  share. 


68  THE  YANDERBILTS. 

lingered  in  the  Riviera,  bnt  got  worse  ratiier  than  better. 
His  father,  now  thoroughly  alarmed,  sent  William  to 
Europe  to  take  care  of  him.  The  two  brothers  traveled 
together  a  year,  to  no  good  end,  and  the  yonng  soldier 
died  at  Paris. 

Already  there  -were  nnmerons  evidences  that  "Wil- 
liam H.  would  win  his  obdurate  father's  confidence  at 
last.  After  his  railroad  Receivership,  they  saw  more 
of  each  other,  and  the  son  was  ti-eated  M-ith  somewhat 
less  reserve.  He  was  prudent  and  obedient,  as  he  had 
always  been.  He  stooped  to  conquer.  From  his  boy- 
hood he  had  given  instant  and  willing  submission  to  the 
despotic  will  of  his  father,  and  had  made  boundless 
sacrifices  to  please  him.  Most  men  would  have  burst 
defiantly  away  from  the  repressive  control  and  imperious 
requirements  ;  but  he  doubtless  thought  that  for  the 
chance  of  becoming  heir  to  $100,000,000  he  could  affoitl 
to  remain  long  in  the  passive  attitude  of  a  distrusted 
prince. 

It  was  known  to  the  Commodore's  business  asso- 
ciates at  the  office,  that  the  way  to  please  him  was  to 
agree  with  him.  When  his  favorite  watch  was  criti- 
cised by  some  visitor  as  being  "  too  fast,"  the  railroad- 
king  is  reported  to  have  exclaimed,  "  Guess  not ;  liow  is 

yours,  R ?"  calling  to  a  clei-k  in  the   next  room. 

"  Same  as  yours,  Commodore ! "'  replied  the  sapient 
youth. 

W^illiam  H.  was  almost  equally  acquiescent.  He  tiied 
in  every  possible  way  to  please  his  father.  It  is  related 
that  when  tiie  famous  trip  to  Europe  was  made  in  the 
North  Star,  the  father  and  son  were  walking  the  deck 
one  day,  both  smoking  energetically,  as  usual. 


FROM   SEA   TO   SHORE.  QO 

"1  wisli  3"on  wonldrrt  smoke,  Billy;  it's  a  bad  habit," 
said  the  father ;  "  Til  give  you  $10,000  to  stop  it." 

"Why,  I  didn't  know  as  you  objected  to  it,  father," 
said  the  man  of  thirty.  "  You  needn't  hire  me  to  give 
it  up.  Your  wish  is  enough.  1  will  never  smoke 
again."  And  off  the  blue  Canaries  he  flung  his  last 
cigar  into  the  sea.  But  his  father  smoked  till  he  died. 
Such  a  son  was  sure  to  make  his  way  at  last,  through 
even  an  iron- plated  distrust. 

The  Conmiodore  was  much  afflicted  by  the  death  of 
George,  and,  though  the  proud  man  probably  did  not 
confess  it  to  himself,  his  heart  turned  thenceforth  more 
warmly  toward  the  successful  farmer  of  Staten  Island. 

About  this  time  Harlem  Railroad  stood  at  three  cents 
on  a  dollai",  and  there  was  no-  sale.  Charles  W.  Sand- 
ford,  its  counsel,  viewing  with  alarm  its  deplorable  con- 
dition, sought  an  interview  with  the  Commodore  for  the 
purpose  of  urging  him  to  become  a  director,  and  to  give 
the  property  the  benefit  of  his  great  executive  ability. 
Yanderbilt  shook  his  head,  and  was  with  difficulty  per- 
suaded to  embark  in  the  enterprise.  Finally,  however, 
lie  consented  to  take  a  little  interest  if  Daniel  Drew 
would  go  in  Avith  him.  "  Uncle  Dan'l "  consented.  They 
invested. 

1  Seeing  that  more  money  would  thereafter  be  made 
on  the  land  than  on  the  sea,  the  Commodore  had  sold  all 
his  ships  to  Allen  &  Garrison  for  three  million  dollars 
in  cash,  and  had  put  it  into  railroad  stock.  He  w\^s  now 
nearly  seventy,  the  Psalmist's  allotted  age,  and  every- 
body said  it  was  high  time  for  him  to  retire,  and  live  a 
quiet  life  during  the  evening  of  his  days.  He  had  ac- 
cumulated, men  said,  not  less  than  twenty  millions  of 


70  THE   VANDEKBILTS. 

dollars.  It  was  enough.  He  ought  not  to  risk  it  in 
speculations,  and  it  was  not  likely  he  would  do  such  a 
mad  thing.  Some  laughed  and  shook  their  heads,  and 
said,  "  Like  other  old  men,  the  Commodore  fancies  that 
he  is  as  young  as  ever,  and  it  would  be  just  like  him  to 
rush  into  the  railroad  business,  which  he  knows  nothing 
about,  merely  because  he  has  succeeded  in  steamboat- 
ing,  which  was  his  trade  !  " 

There  was  sense  in  what  was  said.  It  was  fair  and 
reasonable  to  assume  that  a  man  who  had  proved  him- 
self so  superior  to  all  others  in  one  important  sphere  of 
activity,  and  had  practised  it  with  rare  success  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  could  not,  when  past  the  allotted 
age  of  man,  learn  the  methods  and  acquire  all  the  dif- 
ficult details  of  an  entirely  new  business.  But  this  was 
not  an  ordinary  man,  and  he  could  not  be  judged  by 
ordinary  rules.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  giant  of 
achievement  had  just  entered  upon  the  most  brilliant 
period  of  his  life,  and  he  doubled  his  wealth  four  times 
during  the  next  fifteen  years. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE   HARLEM   CORNER. 


Into  Railroads — Harlem  at  3— Buying  to  Keep — Public  Sympathy — 
Aldermen  Set  a  Trap — Get  Caught — Six  Rules  of  Management — 
The  Legislature  in  Trouble  — Harlem  at  285! — Fights  and  Con- 
quers the  Central — No  Sympathy  Needed. 

The  Commodore  was  a  novice  in  the  railroad  realm, 
but  he  took  a  little  tnrnin  Wall  Street  in  hissixtj-ninth 
year.*  He  went  to  buying  stock  in  the  Harlem  Road. 
He  did  not  bny  it  to  speculate  by  selling  it  again,  but  he 
bought  it  to  hold  it. 

Indeed,  he  was  not  a  speculator.  None  of  the  Yan- 
derbilts  have  ever  been  speculators  in  the  Wall  Street 
sense,  and  neither  the  Commodore  nor  his  son  was  a 
member  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  whei'e  gamblers  and  ad- 
venturers howl  at  each  other  and  wildly  play  battledore 
and  shuttlecock  with  the  table  of  valnes.  The  Com- 
modore did  not  believe  in  buying  or  selling  invisible 
things.  And  he  did  not  believe  in  selling  the  same 
thing  that  he  bought.  He  bought  opportunities,  and'' 
sold   achievements.      Pie   bon<»;lit   nest-errors,    and    sold 

*  It  is  related  of  the  Commodore  that,  being  solicited  to  subscribe 
to  start  the  Harlem  Road,  in  1882,  he  abruptly  declined,  explaining  : 
"  I'm  a  steamboat-man,  a  competitor  of  these  steam  contrivances  that 
you  tell  us  will  run  on  dry  land.  Go  ahead.  I  wish  you  well ;  but 
I  never  shall  have  anything  to  do  with  "em !  " 


72  THE   YANDERBILTS. 

chickens.  He  bought  roads  that  were  thriftless  and  in 
disorder,  and  he  sold  them  when  they  had  become 
models  of  order  and  thrift ;  or,  oftener,  he  did  not  sell 
tliem  "at  all,  because  he  could  make  them  pay  moi'e  than 
anybody  else  could.  Duiing  a  stress  of  affairs  once,  a 
reporter  called  on  him  at  his  office,  Xo.  5  Bowling  Green, 
and  a  brief  talk  was  had,  as  follows: 

"  Good  morning,  young  man." 

"  What  do  you  say  about  the  panic,  Commodore  ?  " 

"  I  don't  say  anything  about  it."' 

"  What  do  you  think  about  it,  then  ?  " 

"  1  don't  think  about  it  at  all." 

"What  would  you  say  about  it  if  you  thought  about 
it.  Commodore  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  tell  ?  "  said  the  interrogated  magnate, 
laughing.  "  See  here,  young  man,  3'ou  don't  mean  to 
go  away  till  I  say  something.  Very  well ;  I'll  say  some- 
thing. Don't  you  never  buy  anything  you  don't  want, 
nor  sell  anything  you  hain't  got !  " 

This  was  his  settled  principle.  He  skinned  the  wolves, 
but  not  the  "  lambs."  He  played  a  strong  game,  but  it 
was  not  the  game  of  the  juggler.  So  ]iow  he  went  into 
Harlem  stock,  in  the  winter  of  '62-'63,  from  an  honest 
conviction  that  it  was  a  good  thing  to  buy  and  own.  This 
was  the  first  railroad  built  running  out  of  Kew  York 
City  in  any  direction,  and  duiing  its  earlier  years  it 
went  only  up  into  Westchester  County  and  stopped. 
Even  thus  it  was  the  wonder  of  that  time.  But  it  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  incompetent  and  the  dis- 
honest ;  it  had  been  badly  managed  and  looted  ;  its 
credit  was  gone ;  its  roadbed  was  shaky  ;  and  its  stock, 
which  went  at  $3  a  share  in  1857,  and  was  worth  only 


DIPS  INTO  harlp:m.  73 

$6  a  share  in  1S50,  and  $8  or  $9  in  ISGO,  sold  not  mnch 
liiglier  when  lie  began  to  buy  lieavily. 

Wlien  he  had  advanced  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
to  the  road,  tlie  stock  doubled  in  value  under  the 
magic  of  his  name,  and  before  spring  grass  was  green 
it  sold  at  30.  This  was  more  than  it  M-as  worth,  the 
"knowing  ones  "  said  ;  and  when  he  went  on  buying 
right  and  left,  they  exchanged  sym[>atlietic  nods  and 
said,  "  His  second  childhood  !  This  dabbling  in  I'ailroads 
spi'ings  from  the  morbid,  irrepressible  activity  of  old 
age,  and  will  end  in  his  ruin."  The  world  had  accepted 
him  as  the  greatest  steamboat  manager  that  ever  lived, 
and  it  could  not  comprehend  that  he  was  equally  great 
at  everything. 

Along  toward  Apiil  a  rumor  was  in 'the  air  that  the 
Commodore  had  got  some  new  franchise,  or  advantage, 
but  nobody  seemed  to  know  exactly  what  it  was.  Stock 
crept  up  to  50.  Suddenly,  on  the  evenhig  of  April  21st, 
the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Xew  York  passed 
an  ordinance  authorizing  him  to  build  a  street  railroad 
all  the  way  down  Broadway  to  the  Batterj' ;  and  next 
d*ay,  when  the  brokers  heard  of  it,  up  went  Harlem  to 
75  at  one  jump,  then  crept  along  to  par.  The  Commo- 
dore and  his  friends  felt  rich,  and  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  road  on  May  19th  ;  but  the  game  was  not 
yet  finished. 

Late  in  June  a  curious  phenomenon  was  noticed  by 
close  observers :  the  very  xVldermen  who  had  been  so 
generous  with  their  franchises  began  to  sell  Harlem 
short — that  is,  sell  it  for  future  delivery  at  a  pi  ice  lower 
than  the  price  then  prevailing.  These  men  had  made 
up  their  minds  that  they  could  all  get  rich  by  selling  the 
4 


74  THE   VAIS^DERBILTS. 

stock  short,  and  then  repealing  the  ordinance  they  had 
just  passed  giving  the  street-railroad  franchise  to  the 
Commodore.  They  let  their  confidential  friends  into 
the  secret,  and  they  gave  their  confidential  friends  the 
"  point,"  till  there  were  a  thousand  men  throwing  Harlem 
npon  the  market. 

To  the  uninitiated  it  may  be  M'ell  to  explain  this 
familiar  trick  of  stock-gamblers  :  When  stock  in  Har- 
lem was  selling  at  100,  they  could  get  plenty  of  people 
to  agree  to  take  it  in  a  month  at  90  ;  then  they  could 
repeal  the  ordinance  that  had  sent  it  up,  and,  logically, 
it  ought  to  drop  to  50  or  60.  By  buying  at  these  prices 
and  delivering  at  90,  they  could  make  the  difference, 
$30  or  $40  a  share.    This  is  what  they  attempted  to  do. 

The  Commodore  heard  of  the  perfidy,  but  he  calmly 
went  on  buying,  and  got  others  to  buy  for  him.  He 
took  all  the  "shorts"  which  Drew  and  the  other  "  bears  " 
liad  to  offer  ;  and,  as  the  total  amount  of  the  stock  was 
not  large  (one  hundred  and  ton  thousand  sliai-es),  the 
greedy  operatoi-s  had,  before  they  knew  it,  sold  more 
than  existed.  Then  the  Council  rescinded  the  ordi- 
nance, and  Judge  Brady  simultaneously,  in  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  enjoined  the  laying  of  rails  in  Broad- 
way, Everything  looked  like  disaster  foi'  Yanderbilt. 
The  merry  brokers  kept  selling  short.  The  stock 
dropped  to  72,  rebounded,  dropped,  and  rose  and  fell 
again  with  febrile  symptoms. 

At  this  juncture  those  who  had  sold  short  wanted  to 
deliver,  and  Avent  into  the  market  to  buy  "cheap.*' 
Up  went  Harlem  to  100,  115,  120,  130,  110,  150,  170 ! 
There  was  a  panic  and  a  howl  of  dismay.  The  shorts 
could  not  be  covered,  because  the  Commodore  held  all 


RUINS   THE   ALDERMEX.  75 

of  tlie  stock.  Seeing  that  the  assault  had  been  made  on 
him  personally,  he  was  inexorable,  lie  and  his  partnei'S 
in  the  bull  movement  took  a  million  of  dollars  from  the 
Council  that  week,  and  other  millions  from  others,  and 
compelled  them  to  make  their  last  settlements  at  $179  a 
share!     The  Common  Council  was  ruined. 

Stock  soon  settled  again  toward  the  former  rate, 
Vanderbilt  sellino;  meantime  and  makino;  a  o-ood  deal  of 
money,  lie  strengthened  his  hold  of  the  property  by 
associating  his  son  William  11.  with  him  as  vice-presi- 
dent. The  president  did  not  often  feel  the  need  of 
consulting  the  vice-president  as  to  projected  ventures, 
but  he  left  to  him  the  management  of  details  and  the 
execution  of  the  schemes  he  planned.  William  11.  im- 
mediately put  in  practice  here  the  same  method  which 
he  had  used  with  such  brilliant  results  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  little  road  on  Staten  Island.  It  was 
found  to  be  equally  adapted  to  large  roads  and  large  re- 
sults. They  repaired  the  track,  improved  the  speed, 
and  managed  the  road  as  a  gi'eat  property  ought  to  be 
managed  to  make  money  decently.  Before  long  traffic 
and  travel  increased,  and  it  became  obvious  that  this  was 
a  good  property  to  own.  Everything  combined  to  favor 
the  Vanderbilt  experiment ;  even  the  presence  of  deso- 
lating war  increased  the  revenues. 

Commodore  Yanderbilt's  methods  in  railroad  manage- 
ment may  be  briefly  summarized :  1,  buy  your  rail- 
road ;  2,  stop  the  stealing  that  went  on  under  the  other 
man  ;  3,  improve  it  in  every  practicable  way  within  a 
reasonable  expenditure  ;  -i,  consolidate  it  with  any  other 
road  that  can  be  run  with  it  economically  ;  5,  water  its 
stock ;  6,  make  it  pay  a  large  dividend. 


73  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

Having  Harlem  Vn'oII  in  hand,  in  the  fall  of  1S63  the 
Commodore  began  to  buy  Hudson  River  Raih-oad  stock. 
It  had  been  going  at  25.  The  road  had  never  paid,  and 
was  a  foot-ball  in  the  street.  He  bought  everything 
in  the  open  market  without  concealment.  He  did  not 
want  to  speculate ;  he  wanted  to  make  the  road  make 
money.  JN^obody  understood  him.  He  was  in  his  seven- 
tieth 3'ear,  but  his  faculties  were  very  alert,  and  he 
was  physically  almost  as  lively  as  when  he  proudl}'- 
stood  in  his  own  "periauger."  Before  many  months  he 
had  secured  control  of  the  road.  He  saw  that  the  two 
lines  were  rivals  without  any  good  result  to  either  their 
owners  or  the  public,  and  he  now  made  up  his  mind  to 
procure  their  consolidation. 

With  this  purpose  he  caused  a  bill  to  bo  introduced 
into  the  Legislature  at  Albany  authorizing  that  act.  It 
was  an  enormous  project,  and  its  value  was  not  under- 
estimated by  members  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly. 
The  owners  of  the  Central  and  directors  of  the  Erie 
fought  him  by  every  device,  but  the  Commodore  went 
up  and  engineered  his  own  bill  with  results  that  prom- 
ised high  success.  He  secured  the  pledge  of  a  majority 
of  the  members  that  they  would  pass  the  measure,  and 
of  the  governor  that  he  would  sign  it.  Stock  innne- 
diately  leaped  up  again  to  75,  and  then  to  100, 130,  150, 
the  Connnodore  buying  all  he  could  at  reasonable  prices. 

After  he  left  Albany,  in  February,  1864,  treachery  be- 
gan to  show  itself  among  the  members  who  had  pledged 
themselves  to  him.  They  concluded,  as  the  Aldermen 
had  done  a  year  before,  that  they  could  make  a  good 
deal  more  money  by  selling  Harlem  for  future  delivery, 
and  then  defeating  the  bill,  than  they  could  by  passing 


THE   OLD   GAME   TRIED   AGAIN".  77 

it.  The  gentlenifrn  wlio  liad  cliarge  of  the  matter  re- 
ported their  perfidy  to  the  Coiiiinodore,  who,  in  antici- 
pation of  success,  had  been  lieavily  buying  stock.  He 
was  enraged  at  their  trickery,  but  he  went  on  buying  as 
usual.  They  carried  out  tlieir  new  progi'aniine — tliey 
defeated  the  bilL  From  150  stock  fell  off  fifty-nine 
points,  and  thei-e  it  stuck,  refusing  to  go  below  90. 
A  damage  of  millions  had  been  inflicted  on  Yanderbilt 
and  his  friends.  If  the  gamblers  had  been  satisfied 
to  deliver  the  stock  then,  they  would  have  made  a 
good  deal  of  money.  But  this  was  not  at  all  what 
they  had  looked  for  and  bargained  for.  They  ex- 
pected the  stock  to  go  down  to  50,  giving  them  a  clear 
profit  of  four  or  five  million  dollars.  And  this  was  worth 
waiting  for.     So  they  waited. 

At  this  juncture  the  Commodore  sent  for  John  Tobin, 
who  had  formerly  been  a  gate-keeper  of  the  first  ferry- 
house  on  Staten  Island,  but  who  was  now  worth  two  or 
three  million  dollars,  a  part  of  which  was  made  in  the 
Harlem  corner  with  the  Commodore  during  the  pre- 
vious summer.  He,  too,  had  been  buying  heavily  of 
the  stock,  paying  above  par  for  a  good  deal  of  it.  They 
talked  the  matter  over. 

"  They  stuck  you,  too,  John.  How  do  you  feel  about 
it  ?  "  asked  the  president  of  Harlem. 

Tobin  said  he  had  held  on  to  his  stock  ;  so  he  should 
meet  no  actual  loss,  unless  he  sold. 

"Shall  we  let  'em  bleed  us?"  continued  the  Com- 
modore. "  John,  don't  them  fellows  need  dressing 
down  ? " 

Tobin  agreed  that  they  did. 

"  Let's  teach  'em  never   to   go   back  on   their  word 


78  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

again  as  long  as  thev  draw  breath.  Let's  try  the  liar- 
lem  corner." 

Tobin  acquiesced,  and  said  he  could  spare  a  million 
dollars  for  it,  and  the  senior  partner  in  this  plot  of  ret- 
ribution agreed  to  put  in  as  much  more  as  was  needed. 
To  buy  at  par  all  the  rest  of  the  stock  that  was  out  of 
their  hands  would  require  four  or  five  millions  of  dol- 
lars.    They  began  to  buv  secretly  but  rapidly. 

JVIeantiuie,  the  treacherous  members  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, having  what  they  considered  "  a  sure  thing,"  not 
only  sold  Harlem  short  for  all  they  were  worth,  but 
confidentiall}-  let  their  friends  in,  so  that  in  a  month 
millions  of  dollars'  worth  had  been  sold  to  be  delivered 
during  the  summer  at  various  prices  below  par,  the 
coalition  supposing  and  alleging  to  each  other  that  in 
two  months  Harlem  could  "  be  bought  for  a  song." 

They  were  surprised  that  their  treacliery  did  not 
bring  the  president  of  Harlem  to  Albany  to  remon- 
strate with  them.  Xo;  he  stayed  at  home  and  bouglit 
stock.  The  bill  for  consolidation  had  been  defeated, 
and  the  conspirators,  rich  in  anticipation,  waited,  ex- 
pecting to  see  Harlem  drop  to  "  where  it  ought  to." 
To  their  astonishment  it  stood  firm  ;  and  when  they 
went  into  the  market  to  buy  for  deliver}"^,  there  was 
none  to  be  had.  They  were  caught  as  the  Aldermen 
had  been.  Great  were  the  chagrin,  alarm,  and  distress 
of  the  too-cunning  law-makers  who  had  set  the  trap. 
They  Avere  at  once  compelled  to  buy  at  whatever  price 
the  holders  chose  to  exact  in  order  to  deliver  on  "call." 
The  Yanderbilt  pool  had  bought  twenty-seven  thousand 
more  shares,  including  contracts,  than  the  entire  stock  of 
the  road. 


THE   LEGISLATURE    "  BUSTED.''  79 

"  Put  it  np  to  1,000  !  "  exclaimed  the  remorseless  Com- 
modore, "this  panel-game  is  being  tried  too  often!" 
It  would  have  been  easy  to  put  np  the  stock  to  1,000  ; 
but  his  allies,  John  Tobin  and  Leonard  Jerome,  urged 
prudence,  for,  as  Jerome  declared,  "  it  Avould  l^reak 
every  house  on  the  street."  The  next  day  contracts  for 
fifteen  thousand  sliai'es  matured,  and  the  holders  let  it 
go  at  285  !  Yanderbilt  and  his  chief  partner  gained 
millions  each.  Many  of  the  "  bears  "M'ere  absolutely 
ruined.  There  are  men  who  were  rich  M'hen  they  went 
into  that  "  speculation,"  who  have  not  yet  recovered 
from  the  disaster,  and  never  will.  The  Commodore,  in 
telling  the  story  nsed  to  say,  "  We  busted  the  whole 
Legislature,  and  scores  of  the  honorable  members  had 
to  go  home  without  paying  their  board-bills!"  Drew 
was  among  the  heaviest  losers,  but  he  pleaded  that  he 
did  not  understand  what  he  was  doing,  and  by  a  long 
suit  forced  a  compromise,  paying  $1, 000,000. 

By  this  time  a  tacit  understanding  seems  to  have 
crept  around  among  the  frisky  "boys"  of  Wall  Street 
that  the  old  man  of  three  score  and  ten  could  take  care 
of  himself,  and  stood  in  no  pressing  need  of  their  sym- 
pathy or  protection. 

An  English  wi-iter  in  Fraser'^s  Magazine  said  of  Drew 
and  Yanderbilt :  "  Between  the  two  preference  is  de- 
cidedly to  be  given  to  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  who  must  be  ac- 
knowledged to  have  his  good  traits,  and  to  be  in  many 
respects  superior  to  professional  speculators,  among 
whom  he  assumes  the  royal  dignity  and  moral  tone  of  a 
Ggetulian  lion  among  the  hyenas  and  jackals  of  the 
desert." 

Touching  on  the  same  comparison,  Charles  Francis 


80  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

Adams  said,  in  tlie  North  American  Review,  in  one  of 
that  remarkable  series  of  articles  that  began  after  the 
\ periodical  had  felt  the  strong  touch  of  Thorndike  Rice: 
'"Yanderbilt  must  be  allowed  to  be  far  the  superior- 
man.  Drew  is  astute  and  full  of  resources,  and  at  times 
a  dangerous  opponent ;  but  Vanderbilt  takes  lai'ger  and 
more  comprehensive  views,  and  his  mind  has  a  vigorous 
grasp  which  that  of  Drew  seems  to  want.  In  a  wider 
field,  the  one  might  have  made  himself  a  great  and 
successful  despot,  but  the  other  \vould  hardly  have  as- 
pired to  be  more  than  the  head  of  the  jobbing  depart- 
ment of  some  corrupt  government.  While  Drew  has 
sought  only  to  carry  to  peifection  the  old  system  of 
pirating  successfully  from  the  confidential  position  of 
director,  neither  knowing  anything  nor  caring  anything 
for  the  railroad  system  except  in  its  connection  with  the 
movements  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  Yanderbilt  has  seen 
the  full  magnitude  of  the  sj-stein,  and  through  it  has 
sought  to  make  himself  a  dictator  in  modern  civilization, 
moving  forward  with  a  sort  of  pitiless  enei'gy  which  has 
seemed  to  have  in  it  an  element  of  fatality."  \ 

A  rigid  system  of  reform  meantime  kffd  been  inaugu- 
rated and  enforced  in  the  Harlem  road,  under  the  imnie- 
diate  eye  of  "William  11.  Vanderbilt.  lie  had  dismissed 
incompetent  men  ;  got  rid  of  supernumeraries ;  com- 
pleted the  double- track  ;  built  new  stations  ;  increased 
the  rolling-stock  ;  checked  extravagance  and  looked  after 
small  economies  whose  aggregate  was  large.  Before  any- 
body suspected  it,  the  road  was  a  paying  investment. 

Delighted  and  even  convinced  by  this  result,  the 
Commodore  placed  his  son  l)y  his  side  as  vice-president 
of  the  Hudson  River  road,  and  to  that  they  strenuously 


COUNELIUS   VANDERBII.T. 


GOES  AFTER  THE  CENTRAL.  81 

applied  the  same  remedies.  "  I  tell  Billy,"  he  was  fond 
of  saying,  "  that  if  these  railroads  can  be  weeded  out 
and  cleaned  np,  and  made  ship-shape,  they'll  both  pay 
dividends."  The  old  man  was  gifted  with  prophetic 
vision.  In  a  few  months  it  was  earning  a  net  profit. 
This  was  partly  the  result  of  the  great  prosperity  which 
overflowed  the  whole  country  at  the  close  of  the  war  ; 
but  a  cause  quite  as  potent  as  this  was  the  thorough 
renovation  which  the  road  received  from  its  new  owner. 

The  Commodore  did  not  at  once  renew  the  attempt 
to  consolidate  his  two  roads,  but  he  plainly  saw  how  he 
was  hampered  and  embarrassed  by  a  short  line,  and  how 
necessary  it  was  to  have  a  trunk  line  to  the  lakes  under 
one  management.  He  began  to  buy  stock  in  the  New 
York  Central ;  in  fact  ho  put  into  it  two  of  the  millions 
he  had  made  in  the  "  Harlem  pool." 

In  1864  the  Central  was  controlled  by  Dean  Rich- 
mond and  Peter  Cagger,  the  remains  of  the  old  Albany 
Regency.  They  looked  with  jealousy  and  apprehen- 
sion on  the  appearance  of  several  Vanderbilt  directors 
in  their  board,  for  they  felt  the  approaching  shadow  of 
the  Commodore.  In  order  to  keep  him  away,  they  got 
up  a  quarrel  with  him.  Daniel  Drew  had  control  of  the 
Hudson  River  steam])oats,  and  with  him  the  Central 
managers  made  a  league,  offensive  and  defensive,  against 
the  ogre  from  the  South  who  coveted  the  line  in  the 
Mohawk  Valley,  and  was  the  dreaded  lival  of  the  boats. 
During  the  winter,  when  the  boats  were  absent,  ai'med 
neutrality  prevailed,  for  the  roads  were  equally  depend- 
ent on  each  other  for  an  outlet ;  but  when  the  ice  broke 
up  in  the  spring,  the  Central  resumed  its  habit  of  cut- 
ting the  acquaintance  of   the  railroads  and  shipping  its 


82  THE    YAXDERBILTS. 

passengers  and  freight,  as  far  as  possible,  ma  the  river. 
It  sold  through  tickets  bj  way  of  the  river  and  made 
connection  with  the  boats,  arranging  as  often  as  possible 
to  arrive  at  Albany  after  the  last  Hudson  River  train 
had  gone. 

The  Commodore  endured  being  thus  discriminated 
against  foi-  one  winter.  lie  remonstrated,  but  his  re- 
monstrances were  in  vain.  He  proposed  different  forms 
of  compromise,  but  his  overtures  were  declined.  He 
waited  till  the  Hudson  River  froze  up  solid  and  the 
boats  were  congealed  at  their  wharves,  then  he  sent  out 
the  stern  mandate,  "  Take  no  more  freight  from  the 
New  York  Central !  " 

It  was  a  silent  order,  addressed  to  his  officers  only, 
and  he  left  them  to  execute  it  in  their  own  way.  The 
next  train  that  went  north  did  not  connect  with  the 
Central  at  all,  did  not  even  cross  the  river,  but  stopped 
half  a  mile  east  of  the  bridge  that  leads  into  Albany. 
The  passengers — some  of  them  members  of  the  State 
Government  protested  and  supplicated,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose. The  train  stopped  there  for  the  night ;  the  fires 
were  banked  ;  and  the  passengers  had  to  walk  the  rest 
of  the  way  to  the  city,  or  get  vehicles  as  the}'  could. 
Xo  moi'e  trains  went  to  Albany,  and  the  perishable 
freight  hither-bound  probably  suffered. 

Great  was  the  excitement.  No  more  through  fi-eight 
came  over  the  Central.  Its  stock  went  down  fifteen  per 
cent,  at  a  blow.  The  stock  of  the  Hudson  River  Rail- 
road kept  mysteriously  rising. 

When  the  Legislature  convened,  it  was  felt  to  be 
proper  to  "investigate"  the  arbitrary  conduct  of  the 
Conimodore  in  refusing  to  come  all  the  way  to  Albany, 


AXD    GETS    IT.  83 

and,  if  necessary,  to  do  something  to  him  in  defence  of 
the  dignity  of  the  State. 

A  committee  snmmoned  him  to  testify.  lie  went. 
They  asked  him  how  he  came  to  be  gnilty  of  such  high- 
handed conduct.  lie  showed  them  an  old  law  which 
prohibited  the  road  from  running  trains  across  the  river, 
a  law  which  had  always  before  remained  a  dead  letter, 
as  it  has  since. 

"  But  why  did  you  not  run  the  train  to  the  river  \ " 

"I  was  not  there,  gentlemen." 

"  What  did  you  do  when  you  heard  of  it  ? " 

"  I  did  not  do  anything.'' 

"  Why  not  ?     Where  were  you  ?  " 

"  I  was  at  home,  gentlemen,  playing  a  rubber  at  whist, 
and  I  never  allow  anything  to  interfere  with  me  when 
I  am  playing  that  game.  It  requires,  as  you  know,  un- 
divided attention." 

It  was  apparent  to  everybody  that  a  crisis  had  come 
in  the  aifairs  of  the  Xew  York  Central,  and  the  result 
of  it  was,  that  the  Commodore's  grasp  on  the  road  Avas 
tightened  rather  than  relaxed.  He  made  a  dash  for 
the  management  in  the  fall  of  1SG6,  hut  missed  it,  and 
Henry  Keep  was  chosen  President,  as  a  friend  of  all 
parties.  It  was  only  a  temporary  makeshift,  and  a 
year  afterward  Mr.  Keep  resigned,  and  the  directors, 
representing  a  large  majority  of  the  stock,  sat  down  and 
wrote  to  the  all-conquering  Commodore  as  follows  : 

New  York,  November  12,  1867. 
C.  Vanderbilt,  Esq. 

The  \indersigned,  stockholders  of  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  are  satisfied  that  a  change  in  the  administration 
of  the  Company,  and  a  thorough  reformation  in  the  manage- 


84  THE   YANDEEBILTS. 

ment  of  its  affairs,  wonld  result  in  larger  dividends  to  the  stock- 
holders and  greatly  promote  the  interests  of  the  public.  They 
therefore  request  that  you  "will  receive  their  proxies  for  the 
coming  election,  and  select  such  a  board  of  directors  as  shall 
seem  to  you  entitled  to  their  confidence.  They  hope  that  such 
an  organization  will  be  effected  as  shall  secure  to  the  Company 
the  aid  of  your  great  and  acknowledged  abilities. 
Yours  respectfully, 

Edwaed  Cunabd, 
John  Jacob  Astok,  Jr., 
Bernard  V.  Hutton, 
John  Steward  and  others, 
representing  over  thiiieen  millions  of  stock. 

He  accepted  the  trust  in  tlie  spirit  in  which  it  was 
given.  An  eyewitness  of  the  election  tlie  next  month 
thus  describes  the  scene  : 

"  The  recent  revolution  in  the  Central  Railroad  sug- 
gests the  changing  nature  of  all  earthly  things.  Only 
a  short  time  ago  the  Pruyns,  the  Martins,  the  Pages,  and 
other  leading  men  of  the  road  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
directors'  rooms,  bat  they  passed  away  like  a  dream. 
Even  Erastns  Corning,  the  beloved  manager,  whose  fiat 
was  law,  is  here  no  more,  and  another  dynasty  appears 
on  the  stage.  The  change  M-as  wrought  by  an  agency 
of  the  most  simple  character,  and  one  from  which  no 
such  great  end  might  have  been  expected.  It  was  a 
slip  of  paper  a  few  inches  square  and  containing  a  few 
lines  of  written  characters.  The  circumstances  were 
these.  On  the  eleventh  day  of  December  a  half-dozen 
gentlemen  marched  into  the  rooms  of  the  Company, 
rooms  into  which  this  was  in  some  instances  their  first 
entrance.  At  11.15  one  of  these  gentlemen  arose  and 
dropped  a  piece  of  paper  into  the  ballot-box,  and  presto, 


PICTURE    OF   THE   BALLOTING.  85 

the  cliange  is  wrought,  an  old  empire  passes  away  and  a 
new  empire  is  inaugurated.  The  appearance  of  the  gen- 
tleman referred  to  was  striking  and  impressive,  lie 
was  of  large  size  and  finely  proportioned,  a  splendid 
specimen  of  muscular  and  intellectual  development, 
with  an  easy  bluff  air  which  suggested  the  quarter-deck, 
and  with  that  peculiar  at-home-ness  which  showed  that 
lie  felt  himself  master  of  the  situation.  Such  was  the 
sfyle  of  the  last  election  of  the  '  Central.'  At  eleven 
o'clock  the  poll  was  opened,  and  remained  open  for  five 
liours  ;  for  five  weary  hours  the  inspectors  stood  guard 
over  the  ballot-box,  and  during  that  time  one  vote  was 
received.  When  the  poll  was  closed  the  potency  of  the 
solitary  ballot  was  disco vei'ed.  It  bore  the  names  of 
thirteen  directors,  and  represented  stock  to  the  amount 
of  $18,000,000.  Such  was  Commodore  Vanderbilt's 
accession  to  the  control  of  the  Central.  He  came,  bring- 
ing his  directors  with  him,  elected  those  directors,  and 
then  received  through  them  the  management."  It  was 
a  signal  triumph  for  a  man  seventy-three  years  of  age. 

Then  he  gave  that  road,  too,  what  he  vigorously 
called  "  an  overhauling."  He  gave  it  the  same  medicine 
that  he  had  already  applied  through  William  II.  to  the 
Harlem  and  the  Hudson  River.  He  administered  even 
a  more  drastic  dose.  He  improved  it  enormously  in 
its  rolling  stock,  its  time-tables,  and  its  service,  ballasted 
anew  the  track,  straightened  out  the  kinks  in  it,  and 
multiplied  its  connections.  The  stock  i-ose  from  the 
moment  his  mysterious  talisman  touched  it. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE    ERIE     WAR. 

The  Commodore  Covets  Erie — Daniel  Drew's  Little  Game — The  Van- 
derbilt  Party  Buys — Drew  and  Gould  Sell  Short — Drew's  Du- 
plicity—Fisk  Throws  100,000  Bogus  Shares  Upon  the  Market- 
Dodging  the  Sheriff — Flight  to  Jersey — Surrender  and  Restitu- 
tion. 

Now  a  battle  of  magnificeut  proportions  took  place 
between  the  Coinraodore  and  those  whom,  by  his  ag- 
gressiveness, he  made  his  enemies.  Having  bought 
and  regulated  the  great  trunk  lines  to  the  north,  he 
looked  around  to  see  where  else  he  was  "needed,"  as  he 
called  it.  The  Pennsylvania  was  out  of  the  State  and 
strongly  buttressed  ;  but  there  was  the  Erie. 

In  1859  it  had  failed  to  meet  the  interest  on  its  first, 
second,  third,  fourth  and  fifth  mortgages,  and  had  passed 
into  the  hands  of  a  ]-eceiver.  It  emerged  in  a  crippled 
condition,  and  Daniel  Drew  and  other  railroad  wreckers 
went  for  the  flotsam  and  jetsam.  "  Uncle  Dan'l "  was 
known  by  the  dishonorable  designation  of  the  Specula- 
ting Director,  because  he  used  his  official  position  in  the 
Erie  road  to  put  its  stock  up  or  thrust  it  down,  which- 
ever would  enable  him  to  make  money.  He  was  a  very 
devout  man,  and  occupied  as  much  time  at  prayer  as 
Vanderbilt  did  at  whist.  He  was  a  curious  combination 
of  simplicity  and  cunning,  of  boldness  and  cowardice,  of 


DANIEL   DREW.  87 

frankness  and  secretiveness,  of  lionesty  and  nnscrupu- 
lousness,  of  superstition  and  faithlessness.  An  English 
critic  *  says  of  him  :  "  Daniel  Drew  had  for  a  long  time 
regarded  Erie  as  his  own  special  preserve.  It  was  set 
all  over  with  his  spring-guns  and  man-traps  in  which  he 
dailv  caught  throniirs  of  unwai'v  intruders,  and  never  let 
them  go  till  they  had  emptied  their  pockets  into  his 
private  coffers."  lie  cared  nothing  whatever  for  the 
road  except  for  what  he  conld  make  by  juggling  with 
its  stock. 

Drew  was  naturally  destructive,  not  constructive.  So 
he  was  always  a  "bear,"  fond  of  depreciating  values,  of 
tearing  down,  and  disappointing  the  liopeful.  While 
Vanderbilt  was  fighting  for  his  property,  as  narrated  in 
the  preceding  chapter.  Drew  was  planning  a  deep  game, 
and  was  selling  Erie  short.  To  liis  great  grief,  the  stock 
kept  going  up.  Promptly  he  developed  his  game. 
Drew,  in  his  official  capacity  of  Treasurer  of  Erie  bor- 
rowed S3,500,000  in  cash  of  Drew  in  his  private  capa- 
city as  Individual  Speculator,  giving  him  as  security 
28,000  shaves  of  capital  stock  hitherto  nnissiied,  and  three 
million  dollars'  worth  of  bonds  alleged  to  be  convertible 
into  stock.  Then  Di'ew  the  Treasurer  obligingly  con- 
verted the  bonds  into  stock  at  the  request  of  Drew  the 
Speculator,  and  when  the  latter  had  sold  as  much  stock 
at  current  prices  for  future  delivery  as  he  could  induce 
anybody  to  buy,  he  threw  the  50,000  shares  on  the  mar- 
ket. There  was  consternation,  distress,  and  terror. 
Stock  went  down  in  two  days  from  8^7  to  850,  and 
"  Uncle  Dan'l  "  pocketed  the  difference  in  millions  of 
dollars  and  presented  a  new  Methodist  Church  to  his 
*  In  Eraser's  Magazine. 


88  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

Bishop.  Charges  of  malfeasance  hi  office  were  brought 
against  him. 

This  man,  who  begged  off  from  liis  indebtedness  the 
previous  year,  M^as  still  treasurer  of  the  Erie  and  virtu- 
ally at  its  head.  The  road  was  acting  as  a  guerilla,  cut- 
ting rates  very  sharply  and  without  system  or  reason, 
and  Vanderbilt  wanted  to  prevent  that.  It  was  owned 
by  nobody,  was  a  foot-ball  in  Wall  Street,  falling  first 
into  the  hands  of  one  set  of  speculators  and  then  an- 
other; it  made  rates  and  broke  rates,  not  in  the  interest 
of  the  public,  or  of  the  road,  but  only  of  the  speculators 
of  the  hour,  who  effected  heavy  combinations  Avhen  they 
wanted  to  put  the  stock  up,  and  drove  the  corporation 
to  the  verge  of  a  receivership  wlien  they  wanted  to 
force  the  stock  down.  Erie  had  been  the  barometer  of 
the  market,  but  it  was  the  butt  and  derision  of  the 
street. 

This  recklessness  seemed  to  be  injurious  to  everybody, 
and  the  Commodore  made  up  his  mind  that  the  only 
way  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos  was  to  "  absorb  "  the 
road  and  run  it  himself.  This,  he  always  alleged,  was 
his  motive,  but  he  may  have  been  somewhat  influenced 
by  a  subsidiary  purpose,  always  attributed  to  liim,  to 
corner  Erie  and  take  millions  out  of  the  "bears,"  as  he 
had  done  in  the  "  Harlem  pool." 

At  any  rate  he  went  at  it  in  the  old  way  and  obtained 
stock,  beginning  in  the  summer  of  1867,  his  brokers  buy- 
ing laro;e  blocks  of  the  coveted  stock,  and  he  electino; 
some  of  the  directors.  Early  the  next  year  he  formed 
an  alliance  with  a  knot  of  speculators  who  controlled 
the  Boston,  Hartford  and  Erie  Railroad,  and  forced  the 
cunning  treasurer  of  Erie  to  come  to  terms.     At  the 


YANDEKBIl/r    BUYS    MILLIONS.  89 

next  election  Drew  was  left  out  of  the  Directory.  That 
night  he  went  and  made  a  personal  appeal  to  Yander- 
bilt  not  to  ruin  him  ;  he  shed  tears  at  the  picture  which 
he  conjured  up  of  the  beggaiy  about  "  staring  him  in 
the  face,"  and  the  Commodore  yielded.  A  New  Hamp- 
shire director  immediately  resigned  at  his  request,  and 
the  lachrymose  millionaire  was  restoi'ed  to  his  old  posi- 
tion, he  agreeing  to  i-epresent  Vanderbilt's  interests  and 
give  the  market  an  upward  tendency.  His  presence  in 
the  Board  was  more  full  of  perils  than  the  admission 
into  the  beleagured  capital  of  that  ancient  animal  which 
neither  of  the  schemers  had  ever  heard  of — the  Trojan 
liorse.  He  had  made  a  large  fortune  through  his  con- 
nection with  the  road.  "  Them  air  Erie  shears,"  liad 
been  alternately  depressed  and  advanced  by  liiin,  and 
liad  been  made  to  pay  tribute  to  "  Uncle  Dan'l  "  when- 
ever they  passed  through  his  hands.  He  had  no  idea 
of  allowing  his  giant  rival  to  capture  the  goose  that  laid 
his  golden  eggs.  Drew  was  not  a  strong  man.  He  was 
parsimonious,  ambitious,  timid,  emotional,  and  possessed 
of  a  low  cunning.  By  his  retention  on  the  Erie  Board 
Gould  and  Fisk  came  into  power.  They  had  little 
monej',  but  one  had  brains  and  the  other  a  cheek  of 
brass. 

The  purchase  of  stock  went  on.  Vanderbilt  had  a 
majority  of  it,  but  he  M-anted  it  all,  so  that  he  could 
put  his  own  price  on  it.  Then  came  rumors  of  Drew's 
treachery  and  of  an  intention  to  issue  more  stock.  This 
was  in  obvious  and  wanton  violation  of  law,  and  must 
be  prevented.  Hostilities  began  in  court.  Judge  Bar- 
nard enjoined  the  Erie  Directors  from  issuing  any  more 
stock,  and  ordered  Mr.  Drew  to  return  to  the  treasury 


90  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

one-fourth  of  that  already  ont.  Judge  Balcom,  of 
Bingliauiton,  ordered  a  stay  of  these  proceedings.  A 
New  Yoi'k  judge  forbade  any  meeting  of  the  Erie  Di- 
rectors unless  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  representative  was  re- 
stored to  his  seat.  Judge  Barnard  forbade  the  conver- 
sion of  any  Erie  bonds  into  stock. 

This  was  deemed  a  victory  for  Yanderbilt,  and  he 
continued  to  buy  fast  and  much.  The  price  rose  with 
a  bound  to  50,  60,  70,  and  80.  When  it  reached  S-i  the 
Yanderbilt  party  had  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
shares  in  their  possession,  and  the  stock  was  virtually 
cornered.  Drew,  Gould,  Eisk,  and  their  backers  and 
allies,  had  been  "  bearing  "  the  stock  with  all  their  might 
— selling  short  for  future  delivery — and  when  it  persist- 
ently rose,  it  looked  as  if  they  were  irretrievably  ruined. 
But,  still  in  charge  of  the  machinery  of  the  Company, 
they  had  an  audacious  trick  in  reserve  which  was  quite 
beyond  the  Commodore's  experience.  As  he  had  a  large 
majority  of  the  stock,  getting  control  of  the  property 
seemed  a  result  not  very  difficult  to  attain  to  a  man  who 
had  wrought  so  many  commercial  miracles.  He  did  not 
dream  that  the  plot  of  Gould  and  Eisk  and  Drew  ren- 
dered his  project  impossible  of  realization.  But  so  it 
proved.     He  was  dealing  with  no  ordinary  men. 

One  hundred  thousand  shares  of  new  stock  was  signed 
in  blank  and  deposited  in  Drew's  safe.  On  March  10th 
the  contracts  for  the  delivery  of  stock  generally  culmi- 
nated. The  court  had  enjoined  the  Secretary  from 
issuing  any  more  stock,  but  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
eventful  day  he  directed  an  employe  of  the  road  to 
take  the  books  of  stock  from  the  office  in  \Yest  Street 
to  Pine  Street.     While  on  his  way  the  messenger  was 


THE   BOGUS   STOCK.  91 

robbed  !  Jaines  Fisk  met  him  outside  the  door,  wrenched 
the  books  away  from  him  and  ran  away  with  them. 
They  were  taken  in  tlie  bokl  conspirator's  carriage  to 
liis  office  in  Broad  Street,  and  thrown  on  tlie  market. 
Over  ten  million  dollars'  worth  of  the  stuff,  manufac- 
tured for  the  occasion  in  defiance  of  law  and  the  Court's 
decree,  were  sold  to  all  comers. 

Yanderbilt  went  on  buying  till  he  was  loaded  np  with 
the  so-called  "  stock,"  which  had  no  legal  existence,  lie 
took  it  in  million-dollar  blocks.  His  allies  and  brokers 
were  John  Tobin,  Frank  "Work,  Kufus  Hatch,  William 
Heath,  and  Augustus  and  Richard  Schell.  "  Over-issue 
of  Erie  !  "  was  the  rumor  on  the  Street.  When  the 
Commodore  wanted  more  money  he  sent  that  bold  and 
i-eckless  financier,  "  Dick  "  Schell,  to  negotiate  with  the 
banks. 

"  We  can't  lend  on  Erie,"  they  said,  "  there  is  an  il- 
legal issue  of  stock,  and  Erie  isn't  worth  anything." 

"  What  will  you  lend  on  ?  "  inquired  Schell. 

"  Central — that's  good,"  they  answered. 

Schell  inquired,  and  found  out  that  they  all  liad  Cen- 
tral. 

"  Very  well,  gentlemen  !  "  said  Scliell,  as  if  by  author- 
ity ;  "if  you  don't  lend  the  Commodore  half  a  million 
on  Erie  at  50,  and  do  it  at  once,  he  will  put  Central  at 
50  to-morrow  and  break  half  the  houses  on  the  Street ! 
You  know  whether  you  will  be  among  them." 

Thereupon  they  made  the  loan,  and  the  intrepid  Com- 
modore went  on  buying.  It  was  like  trying  to  dip  out 
the  ocean.  The  manuj^acturer  gayly  remarked  to  confi- 
dential friends,  "  If  this  printing-press  don't  break 
down,  I'll  be if  I  don't  give  the  old  hog  all  he 


92  THE   VANDEKBILTS. 

wants  of  Erie."  The  printing-press  was  strong,  and  he 
succeeded.  It  is  a  wonder  that  even  Yanderbilt,  rich  as 
he  was,  was  not  driven  into  bankruptcy  by  these  desper- 
ate gainesters.  AVhen  the  exposure  was  first  made  his 
best  friends  supposed  he  was  mined  past  liope.  Not 
quite  so  bad  as  that,  the  sequel  proved,  but  he  was  be- 
hind six  or  seven  millions  of  dollars.  Tobin,  ex-presi- 
dent of  the  Central,  lost  $2,500,000.  Half  of  tlie  buy- 
ers were  absolutely  driven  to  wreck.  But  the  chief  vic- 
tim of  the  conspiracy  had  some  money  yet  unexpended, 
and  a-  great  deal  more  pluck. 

Drew,  risk,  and  Gould  had  the  assurance  to  go  to  their 
offices  next  morning,  but  they  soon  heard  that  warrants 
for  their  arrest  were  out,  and  then  a  strange  sight  was 
seen  :  "  At  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  eleventh, 
the  astonished  police  saw  a  throng  of  panic-stricken 
railroad  directors,  looking  more  like  a  frightened  gang 
of  thieves  disturbed  in  the  division  of  their  plunder, 
than  like  the  wealthy  representatives  of  a  great  corpora- 
tion, rushing  headlong  from  the  doors  of  the  Erie  office 
and  dashing  off  in  the  direction  of  the  Jersey  City  Feriy. 
In  their  hands  were  packages  and  files  of  papers,  and 
their  pockets  were  crammed  with  assets  and  securities. 
One  individual  bore  away  with  him  in  a  hackney  coach 
bales  containing  $6,000,000  in  greenbacks  !  * 

"The  attempted  'corner'  was  a  failure,  and  Drew 
was  victorious — no  doubt  existed  on  that  point.  The 
question  now  was,  could  Yanderbilt  sustain  himself? 
In  spite  of  all  his  wealth,  must  he  not  go  down  before 
his  cunning  opponent  ?  When  night  put  an  end  to  the 
conflict  Erie  stood  at  TS,  the  shock  of  battle  M'as  over, 
*  Charles  Fraucis  Adams  in  Nortli  American  Review,  18G9. 


IX    PERIL    OF    BAXKRUPTCY.  93 

and  the  astonished  brokers  drew  breath  as  they  waited 
for  the  events  of  the  morrow.  .  .  .  As  usual  in  these 
Wall  Street  operations,  thei-e  was  a  grim  humor  in  tlie 
situation.  Had  VanderbiJt  failed  to  sustain  the  market, 
a  financial  collapse  and  panic  must  have  ensued  which 
would  have  sent  him  to  the  wall.  lie  had  sustained  it, 
and  had  absorbed  a  hundred  thousand  shares  of  Erie. 
.  .  .  Yanderbilt  had,  however,  little  leisure  to  devote 
to  the  enjoj^ment  of  the  lunnorous  side  of  his  position. 
The  situation  was  alarming.  His  opponents  had  carried 
with  them  in  their  flight  seven  millions  in  currency, 
which  were  withdrawn  from  circulation.  An  artificial 
stringency  was  thus  created  in  Wall  Street^  and  while 
money  rose,  stocks  fell,  and  unusual  margins  were  called 
in.  Vanderbilt  was  carrying  a  fearful  load,  and  the 
least  want  of  confidence,  the  faintest  sign  of  faltering, 
might  well  bring  on  a  crash.  He  already  had  a  hun- 
dred thousand  shares  of  Erie,  not  one  of  which  he  could 
sell.  He  was  liable  at  any  time  to  be  called  upon  to 
carry  as  much  more  as  his  opponents,  skilled  by  long 
practice  in  the  manufacture  of  the  article,  might  see  fit 
to  produce.  Opposed  to  him  were  men  who  scrupled 
at  nothing,  and  who  knew  every  in  and  out  of  the 
money  market.  With  every  look  and  every  gesture  anx- 
iously scrutinized,  a  position  more  trying  than  his  then 
was  can  hardly  be  conceived.  It  is  not  known  from 
what  source  he  drew  the  vast  sums  which  enabled  him 
to  surmount  his  difficulties  Nvith  such  apparent  ease. 
His  nerve,  however,  stood  him  in  at  least  as  good  stead 
as  his  financial  resources.  Like  a  great  genei'al,  in  the 
hour  of  trial  he  inspired  confidence.  While  fighting  for 
life  he  could  '  talk  horse'  and  play  whist.     The  man- 


94  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

ner  in  wliicli  he  then  emerged  from  his  troubles,  serene 
and  confident,  was  as  extraordinary  as  the  financial  re- 
sources he  commanded." 

The  Commodore  now  did  two  things  :  He  at  once 
sold  out  all  the  genuine  stock  he  held,  and  he  put  in  im- 
mediate and  vigorous  action  all  the  enginery  of  the  law 
for  the  punishment  of  the  conspiratoi'S,  whom  he  called 
by  much  harsher  names,  and  threatened  with  the  peni- 
tentiary. He  procured  attachments  against  their  prop- 
erty and  warrants  for  their  personal  arrest,  and  the  in- 
dignant Barnard  sent  liis  most  active  oiScers  after  them. 
They  had  hastily  fled  to  Jersey  City,  carrying  with 
them  1^7,000,000  of  the  Commodore's  money,  and  there 
Fisk,  Gould,  Drew,  and  others  remained  all  summer,  at 
a  refuge  which  became  known  as  "  Camp  Taylor." 

Xot  only  did  most  of  them  avoid  arrest,  but  they 
Ansited  Albany  clandestinely,  and  by  the  use  of  the  money 
they  had  got  from  the  Commodore  secured  the  passage 
by  the  Legislatui'c  of  an  act  authorizing  the  issue  of  bogus 
bonds! — similar  to  an  act  to  legalize  counterfeit  money. 

Courts  were  appealed  to  for  their  protection.  Two 
judges  became  implicated  in  charges  of  bribery,  one  of 
whom  was  impeached,  while  the  other  more  prudently 
resigned.  Tlic  attention  of  the  whole  country  was 
aroused  by  the  tunnilt  of  the  combat.  The  Jersey  City 
exiles  tried  in  vain  to  compromise  ;  but  all  the  fighting 
qualities  of  the  Commodore  were  np,  and  he  sent  them 
word  that  unless  they  refunded  every  cent  th-ey  had 
stolen  he  would  have  them  in  jail  if  it  took  his  last  dollar. 

At  last  he  triumphed.  The  banishment  to  Jei-sey  and 
the  pressure  of  public  condemnation  became  a  double 
burden,  too  great  to  be  borne,  and   Di-ew  came  in  one 


THE   PLOTTERS   SURRENDER.  05 

Sunday  and  surrendered.  He  agreed  to  '*  do  the  fair 
thing,"  and  asked  for  mercy,  making  an  appeal  of  the 
most  pathetic  natui'e  to  the  Commodore.  As  a  matter 
of  liistoi-ic  fact,  he  went  to  Washington  Place  and  spent 
half  of  the  night  weeping,  as  usual,  over  his  miserable 
condition.*  It  succeeded.  About  the  only  soft  spot  tJiat 
the  Commodore  had  in  his  nature  was  a  sentimental 
willingness  to  help  Mr.  Drew  out  of  scrapes.  Drew  was 
t])ree  years  his  junior,  and  was  dreadfully  ignorant  and 
illiterate,  and  Yanderbilt  regarded  with  a  certain  sort  of 
fraternal  pride  a  man  who  had  "  made  himself,"'  and 
from  a  common  laborer  had  got  to  be  worth  $18,000,000. 
So  when  the  unfortunate  magnate  unlocked  the  foun- 
tains of  sympathy  and  promised  to  behave  and  do  just 
what  Vanderl)ilt  wanted  done,  if  he  would  "  let  up,'' 
the  overture  was  received  magnanimously.  He  made 
restitution,  and  a  settlement  M'as  effected.  As  a  wit- 
ness in  court,  subsequently.  Drew  testified,  "Yanderbilt 
alius  tole  me  that  I  acted  very  foolish  in  goin'  to  Jersey 
City  ;  I  tole  him  I  didn't  know  but  Avhat  I  wus  circum- 
stanced in  an  ockerd  light.*" 

Shortly  afterward  Gould  and  Fisk  followed  his  ex- 
ample. They  surrendered.  Yanderbilt  was  relieved  of 
50,000  shares  at  $70,  receiving  $2,500,000  in  cash  and 
$1,250,000  in  bonds  of  the  Boston,  Hartford  and  Erie 
at  $80.  He  was  to  receive  a  further  $1,000,000  out- 
right for  the  privilege  thus  secured  of  calling  on  him 
for  his  other  50,000  shares  at  $70,  any  time  within  four 
months. 

This  bargain  was  consummated  one  morning,  while 

*  Dauiel  Drew's  constant  premonitions  of  poverty  were  at  last  re- 
alized, and  when  he  died  he  left  not  a  dollar's  worth  of  property. 


96  THE   TA^DEEBILTS. 

they  wei'e  still  shadowed  bv  tlie  police.  Jnst  before 
daylight,  Gould  and  Fisk  crept  across  the  river  with 
piles  of  documents  and  bonds  in  their  buggy,  and 
wended  their  quiet  if  not  contrite  way  to  Washington 
Place.  As  a  witness  in  one  of  these  interminable 
Erie  suits  subsequently,  Fisk  told  the  story  of  this  early 
visit  in  his  own  droll  way.  Inferring  that  the  Commo- 
dore would  not  yet  be  up,  Gould  counselled  a  decent  de- 
lay, but  Fisk  boldly  rang  the  bell,  and  went  straiglit  np 
to  the  Commodore's  bedroom. 

"  The  Commodore  was  sitting  on  the  side  of  the  bed 
with  one  shoe  off  and  one  shoe  on,"  began  this  observ- 
ing and  facetious  witness.  "  He  got  up,  and  I  saw  him 
putting  on  the  other  shoe.  I  remember  that  shoe  from 
its  peculiarity  :  it  had  four  buckles  on  it.  I  had  never 
seen  shoes  M'ith  buckles  in  that  manner  before,  and  I 
thought  if  these  sort  of  men  always  wear  that  sort  of 
shoe  I  might  want  a  pair.  lie  said  I  must  take  my 
position  as  I  found  it ;  that  there  I  was,  and  he  would 
keep  his  bloodhounds  (the  lawyers)  on  our  track ;  that 
he  would  be  damned  if  he  didn't  keep  them  after  us  if 
we  didn't  take  the  stock  off  his  hands.  I  told  him  that 
if  I  had  my  way  I'd  be  damned  if  I  M'ould  take  a  share 
of  it;  that  he  brought  the  punishment  on  himself  and 
he  deserved  it.  This  mellowed  him  down.  ...  I 
told  him  that  he  was  a  robber.  He  said  the  suits  would 
never  be  withdrawn  till  he  was  settled  with.  I  said 
[after  settling  with  him]  that  it  was  an  almighty  rob- 
bery; that  we  had  sold  ourselves  to  the  devil,  and  that 
Gould  felt  just  the  same  as  I  did." 

Tlie  issue  of  bogus  bonds  and  the  illegal  "  compro- 
mise" by  which  the  conspirators  escaped   punishment 


THE    COMMODORE    UNHARMED.  97 

Iiad  cost  the  Erie  road  in  all  about  nine  millions  of  dol- 
lars, and  to  this  amount  they  were  afterward  compelled 
to  make  restitution. 

This  Erie  venture  had  cost  Vanderbilt  a  million  or 
two  which  the  above  restitution  did  not  cover,  and  it 
operated  as  a  warning  to  him.  He  declared,  in  monosj-I- 
labic  Saxon,  that  he  would  never  touch  Erie  again,  and 
"  never  have  anything  more  to  do  with  them  blowers," 
and  he  never  did.  The  Legislature,  at  its  succeeding 
session,  passed  an  act  forbidding  the  consolidation  of 
the  Erie  and  the  Central— a  rightful  and  needful  pro- 
hibition. Thenceforth  there  was  wholesome  compe- 
tition between  the  two  great  trunk  systems  of  Kew 
York  State. 

Wall  Street  looked  upon  the  Commodore  as  badly  crip- 
pled before  he  emerged  from  this  battle-royal,  and  was 
greatly  astonished  to  see  that  he  always  bore  himself 
with  his  usual  composure  and  courage,  and  seemed  to 
have  as  much  money  as  ever. 
5 


CHAPTER  XL 

TROPHIES  OF   VICTORY. 

Twenty-five  Million  Dollars  in  Five  Years — William's  Way — Consoli- 
dation Succeeds — Freight  Depot  on  St.  John's  Park — Dedication 
of  the  Commodore's  Monument,  the  Bronzes — Watering  Stock- — 
What  is  It,  and  Whom  does  it  Rob  ? 

The  financial  world  was  disappointed  and  astonished. 
The  audacious  Commodore  had  not  "  gone  under."  On 
the  contrary,  he  had  demonstrated  his  ability  to  hold 
his  own  against  all  comers.  After  he  had  passed  far 
more  than  an  average  life-time  in  familiarizing  himself 
Avitli  marine  transportation,  and  had  learned  that  com- 
plicated business  to  the  minutest  detail,  he  had,  at  three- 
score and  ten,  changed  the  whole  purpose  of  his  life  and 
transferred  all  of  his  wealth  to  railroads,  in  the  man- 
agement of  which  he  had  had  no  experience.  Practical 
railroad  men  predicted  that  he  would  lose  ashore  the 
fortune  he  had  made  afloat. 

He  had  turned  their  prophecies  to  derision.  He  had 
learned  his  new  trade  as  easily  as  Mezzofanti  learned  a 
new  language,  or  Blind  Tom  a  new  tune.  His  hair  was 
silvered,  and  the  crow-step  twinkle  had  come  to  the  cor- 
ners of  his  eyes,  but  in  the  first  five  years  of  his  raili-oad 
ventures  and  experiments  he  had  made  a  clear  profit  of 
not  less  than  twentv-five  million  dollars. 


CONSOLIDATION.  99 

With  his  son  AVilliam  at  his  side,  now  quite  estab- 
lished in  his  confidence  and  pursuing  careful  business 
methods  that  received  his  cordial  approval,  the  railroads 
he  had  bought  rapidly  continued  to  improve.  In  two 
years  he  advanced  to  the  iCentral  road  82,000,000 
above  the  stock  he  bought.  '*'  lie  burned  np  its  old 
cars,  sold  its  old  locomotives,  threw  out  its  old  ties, 
put  on  new  cars,  new  locomotives,  new  ties,  new  rails, 
and  made  it  what  it  is  to-daj,  one  of  the  best-reg- 
ulated and  most  thoroughly-stocked  roads  in  the  State 
of  Xew'  York."  lie  believed  that  the  road  inust  pay  if 
well  equipped  and  well  conducted.  And  he  backed  his 
opinion  with  his  money.   ' 

The  next  fall  (1S69)  lie  went  to  Albany  again,  and 
asked  for  the  privilege  of  consolidating  the  Hudson 
Kiver  and  the  Xew  York  Central  Railroads.  The 
"bears,"  whose  claws  had  been  caught  in  his  Harlem 
scheme,  stood  oif  at  a  very  respectful  distance,  and  did 
not  offer  their  assistance  in  any  waj',  and  the  act  was 
passed  on  Xovember  Ist  without  serious  opposition. 

About  the  next  thing  he  did  was  to  buy  outright  from 
the  city  St.  John's  Park,  on  Hudson  Street,  formerly  the 
centre  of  aristocratic  residence.  He  paid  81,000,000 
for  it,  and  he  erected  there  a  gigantic  freight  depot 
for  the  Hudson  River  Railroad.  In  the  western  pedi- 
ment of  this  imposing  structure  he  erected  Albert  De 
Groot's  famous  bronze  has-relief^  an  ambitious  allegory 
of  Industry,  emblematical  of  the  Commodoi-e's  remark- 
able career.  The  artist  was  the  son  of  Captain  Freeman 
De  Groot,  who  commanded  the  Cinderella  on  Van- 
derbilt's  line.  The  device  was  erected  with  jf  formal 
celebration,  and  cost  $250,000. 


100  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

Tliese  iiieniorial  bronzes,  now  buried  in  the  business 
heart  of  the  city  below  Canal  Street,  were  unveiled  on 
November  10,  1869,  in  the  presence  of  some  ten  thou- 
sand people.  The  day  M-as  observed  in  Xew  York  by  a 
display  of  flags  on  all  the  public  buildings,  as  well  as  on 
the  shipping  in  the  two  rivers.  The  exercises  at  the 
unveiling  consisted  of  music  by  the  Seventh  Regiment 
Band  ;  a  prayer  by  Bishop  Janes,  of  the  Methodist 
Church  ;  an  address  by  Oakey  Hall,  Mayor  of  the  city, 
aTid  a  poem  by  William  Ross  Wallace.  Admirals  Gordon 
and  Stringham,  of  the  Xavy,  were  present,  and  out  of 
compliment  to  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  twenty-five  vet- 
eran sailors  from  the  United  States  receiving  ship  Ver- 
mont were  detailed  to  haul  up  the  heavy  canvas  when  the 
bronzes  were  revealed  to  public  view.  When  this  had 
been  done,  and  the  Commodore's  pennant  was  run  upon 
the  flagstaff,  it  was  found  that  the  bronzes  consisted  of 
a  statue  of  the  Commodore,  larger  than  life,  standing  in 
a  central  niche,  flanked  on  either  side  with  an  immense 
field  of  bronze  devoted  to  the  story  of  his  life,  its  works 
and  achievements.  The  figure  of  the  Commodore  is 
rather  stiff,  and  is  dressed  in  the  fur-lined  coat  he  was 
fond  of  wearing.  "  As  a  likeness,"  says  Horace  Greeley j- 
in  liis  paper,  at  the  time,  "the statue  signally  fails  to  do 
justice  to  that  physiognomy,  one  of  the  finest  in  America, 
which  has  never  yet  been  rendered  M-oi'thily  by  any 
photograph,  bronze,  or  picture  that  we  have  seen." 

The  field  on  the  right,  or  southern  side  of  tlie  statue, 
is  devoted  to  the  marine  period  of  Commodore  Vander- 
bilt's  life,  while  that  on  the  left,  or  northern  side,  illus- 
trates his  railway  life.  The  Nation,  speaking  of  the 
work,  said  :   "  There  is  about  it  a  curious  appropriate- 


THE    r.KONZE   MEMORIAL.  101 

ness  and  fitness  to  the  exploits  and  fame  it  is  to  cele- 
brate/'' 

While  these  bronzes,  said  to  be  the  largest  in  the 
world,  do  not  rank  high  as  works  of  art,  they  tell  in  a 
very  plain  manner  the  story  of  the  life  of  Commodore 
Vanderbilt.  In  the  marine  section  there  is  the  image  of 
the  boat  in  which,  as  a  yonngman,  he  carried  passengers 
f  I'om  the  Battery  to  Staten  Island  and  back.  There  is  also 
one  of  the  vessels  of  the  Pacific  Mail  line-,  and  a' correct 
representation  of  tlie  great  steamship  Yanderbilt,  wh''ch 
he  gave  to  the  United  States  G€)vermi:tent  du''i!)g  flre'^nV-ii 
conflict.  Piled  in  the  foregronnd,  and  around  the  feet  of 
the  statue,  are  various  objects,  representing,  symbolically, 
facts  and  events  iu  his  career,  such  as  a  major  and  minor 
engine,  anchors,  cables,  pilot-Mdieel,  cotton-bale,  etc. 

The  northern  section  of  the  bronzes  contains  what  may 
be  called  a  panoramic  view  of  the  Hudson  Piver  Rail- 
way, with  bridges,  tunnels,  mountains,  trains  going  up 
and  down  the  river,  etc.,  with  glimpses  of  the  Hudson 
and  its  river  boats,  all  witnesses  to  his  enei-gy  and  busi- 
ness sagacity.  Few  men  have  their  statues  set  up  during 
their  life-time.  The  Iron  Duke  and  George  Peabody 
are  modern  instances.  But  the.  courage,  tenacity,  ca- 
pacity for  toil  and  energy^ crowned  with  success,  won  for 
Commodore  Yanderbilt  great  respect  from  his  fellow- 
citizens  during  his  life.  Said  the  Tribune  at  the  time: 
'•  We  fully  recoo-nize  and  pay  tribute  to  his  bi'oad  fore- 
sight, patient  judgment,  and  resistless  energy  of  will ;  and 
in  honoring  him,  we  honor  the  commercial  enterprise, 
commercial  sagacity,  and  commercial  success  which 
make  him  the  'realized  ideal'  of  -more  people  than  al- 
most anv  other  living;  American."  , 


102  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  the  residents  of  the  great 
citj  have  never  seen  this  unique  memorial,  for  it  is 
masked  by  high  business  blocks  on  a  street  which  they 
never  traverse.  As  a  monument  for  the  public  eye  it 
might  almost  as  well  be  in  the  depths  of  the  Adii'on- 
dacks. 

The  Commodore  made  William  II.  Vanderbilt  vice- 
president  of  the  consolidated  system,  and  it  profited  at 
oncB'f'om  his  Ihcibugh  executive  management  and  at- 
tention to  details. 

'Tn3  vvritcr'  iu  J^fd'se7'''s,  says:  "These  roads  the  Com- 
modore certainly  managed  with  great  skill,  \llis  ad- 
ministrative ability  is  immense.  He  has  introduced 
vigor  and  thoroughness  into  every  department,  and  the 
public  are  well  pleased  with  the  fruits  of  his  labors. 
lie  is  ambitious  of  the  fame  of  conducting  his  roads  in 
the  best  possible  manner,  and  he  takes  such  a  pride  in 
their  appearance  and  appointments  as  a  hunting  gentle- 
man takes  in  his  stud." 

Then  he  hastened  to  dilute  the  capital  of  all  his  roads 
enormously,  pretty  nearly  doubling  his  previous  wealth. 
When  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Hudson  Kiver 
Kailroad  its  capital  was  $7,000,000  only ;  when  he 
became  president  of  the  Central  it  had  a  capital  of 
$28,000,000.  Early  in  1869,  he  declared  a  tremendous 
dividend  of  new  stock  to  all  stockholders.  Ko  less  than 
eighty  per  cent,  was  added  in  a  lump  to  the  estimated 
value  of  Hudson  Kiver,  and  one  hundred  and  seven  per 
cent,  to  the  estimated  value  of  Xew  York  Central.  In 
other  words,  the  capital  stock  of  the  two  roads  was  in- 
creased from  $35,000,000  to  $86,000,000,  and  then  to 

),000,000.     As  they  proved  to  be  worth  it,  it  put  co- 


WHAT   IS    STOCK-WATERING  ?  103 

lossal  profits  into  the  pockets  of  the  president  and  his 
friends.  One  night,  at  niidTiight,  lie  carried  away  from 
the  office  of  Horace  F.  Chirk,  his  son-indaw,  §6,000,000 
in  greenbacks  as  a  part  of  his  share  of  the  profits.  And 
he  luid  $20,000,000  more  in  new  stock. 

This  was  the  gigantic  stock-watering  operation  wliich 
called  down  on  the  Yanderbilts  the  denunciation  of  a 
good  many  who  were  not  partners  in  the  transaction, 
and  which  is  still  regarded  by  the  uninformed  and  the 
iinthiidcing  as  "  a  pure  steal."  * 

What  is  stock-watering?  It  is  simply  the  conclusion 
and  declaration  of  a  man  that  his  property  is  worth 
more  to  day  than  it  was  yesterday.  He  buys  an  old, 
broken-down  horse,  for  instance,  and  pays  $20  for  it. 
He  takes  some  chances.  It  may  die  on  his  hands,  but 
he  resolves  to  save  it  and  make  money  on  it,  if  possible. 
He  gives  the  animal  the  best  of  care,  feeds  it  well, 
grooms  it  carefully,  and  in  a  year  it  recovers  from  its 
lameness,  acquires  a  glossy  coat,  and  is  sound  and  w^ell. 
He  then  puts  a  new  price  on  his  horse,  and  asks  $200 
for  it,  Noticing  that  it  has  spirit  and  a  good  form,  he 
speeds  it  on  the  track  and  finds,  to  his  surprise,  that  it 
can  go  in  three  minutes.  He  now  says,  "  If  any  man 
wants  that  horse  he  must  pay  $1,000  for  it."  He  has 
"watered  "  his  horse.     Has  he  robbed  anybody  ?     Has 

*  When  the  Commodore's  portrait  first  appeared  upon  the  bonds  of 
the  Central,  a  holder  of  some  called  one  day  and  said  ;  "  Commodore, 
glad  to  see  your  face  on  them  bonds.  It's  worth  ten  per  cent.  It 
gives  everybody  confidence."  The  Commodore  smiled  grimly,  the 
only  recognition  he  ever  made  of  a  compliment.  "'Cause,''  ex- 
plained the  visitor,  "wen  we  see  that  fine,  noble  brow,  it  reminds 
us  that  you  never'U  let  anybody  else  steal  anything  !  " 


104  THE   VANDEEEILTS. 

lie  not  a  riglit  to  charge  for  it  what  he  pleases,  so  long 
as  nobody  is  compelled  to  buy  ?  * 

So  Yanderbilt  bought  roads— not  to  sell,  but  to  im- 
prove. They  were  all  crippled  when  he  bought,  and 
they  were  afflicted  with  every  pernicious  disease  that 
sick  railroads  ever  have.  lie  administered  heroic  treat- 
ment :  He  lopped  off  every  extravagance  ;  removed 
ornaments  from  the  locomotives  ;  increased  the  tracks 
and  the  carrying  capacity  ;  combined  half  a  dozen  short 
railroads  and  made  them  into  a  single  long  one,  and 
rolled  half  a  dozen  Presidents  and  Boards  of  Directors 
into  one  ;  opened  new  outlets  and  new  feeders ;  made 
every  man  in  his  employ  do  a  whole  daA-'s  work ;  and 
thus,  roads  which  had  been  the  toys  of  gamblers  and  the 
preserves  of  bankrupt  politicians  grew  to  valuable  prop- 
erty in  his  liands,  and  showed  that  they  knew  their 
master. 

They  had  been  treated  exactly  as  the  broken-down 
army  horses  were  treated  that  were  turned  out  upon  the 
farms  of  the  State  during  those  same  years,  lie  had 
bought  the  roads,  and  he  had  put  value  into  them,  as 
truly  as  a  cabinet-maker  puts  value  into  wood  when  he 
makes  it  into  a  chair.  Was  it  not  his  privilege  to  put  a 
price  on  his  own  property  ?  It  was  twice  as  valuable  in 
1869  as  when  he  bought  it ;  was  it  "  robbery  "  for  him 
to  charge  twice  as  much  for  it  ?     If  he  had  not  bought 

*  In  a  careful  estimate  concerning  this  matter,  Charles  Francis 
Adams  computed  that  in  1870  "  $50,000  of  absolute  water  "  had  been 
poured  out  for  each  mile  of  road  between  New  York  and  Buffalo.  In 
other  words,  that  Commodore  Vanderbilt's  brain,  brought  to  bear  on 
this  ramshackle  tlioroughfare,  had  added  $50,000  a  mile  to  its  abso- 
lute value. 


W.    K.    VANHKRHTT.T. 


HE   CHEATED   HIS   WEALTH.  105 

it  it  would  not  have  been  worth  $50,000,000  in  1869. 
Was  he  not  fairly  entitled  to  the  extra  millions,  and  had 
lie  not  earned  them  as  truly  as  a  man  who  wheels  sand 
from  a  sand-bank  earns  his  daily  dollar? 

Before  he  bought  the  Central,  a  six  per  cent,  dividend 
had  been  nominally  paid,  but  much  of  the  tinie  this  had 
been  borrowed.  When  he  had  reconstructed  the  roads 
on  a  business  basis  he  made  them  so  serviceable  that  he 
more  than  doubled  their  value.  Indeed,  he  increased 
their  nominal  value  from  $36,000,000  to  $90,000,000, 
and  paid  annually  eight  per  cent,  on  that!  If  he  had 
not  watered  the  stock  their  augmented  value  M'ould  have 
been  the  same,  but  instead  of  paying  eight  per  cent, 
on  $90,000,000  he  would  have  paid  twenty  per  cent, 
on  the  $36,000,000.  If  he  had  watered  the  stock  with- 
out being  able  to  pay  dividends  on  it,  the  watering 
would  have  made  no  difference  in  its  value.  The  prop- 
erty was  property  he  had  created,  and  without  him  the 
bulk  of  it  would  not  have  existed  at  all. 
5* 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HABITS   AND   CHARACTER 

Methods  of  Work — Location' in  Various  Years — Keeping  Accounts  in 
His  Head — Punctuality — Close  at  a  Bargain — Whist  After  Dinner 
—Tells  a  Story  of  His  Mother— Death  of  His  Wife. 

His  success  was  not  more  remarkable  than  the  ease 
witli  which  he  superintended  his  extensive  affairs.  At 
ten  or  eleven  in  tlie  morning,  having  glanced  through 
twp  or  three  newspapers,  he  came  out  of  his  house  on 
Washington  Place,  and  drove  in  a  light,  no-top  buggy  to 
his  office  in  Bowling  Green.  There,  in  an  hour  or  so, 
aided  by  a  single  clerk,  he  transacted  the  business  of  the 
day,  and  after  giving  some  hints  to  his  son,  William  H., 
returned  for  his  afternoon  drive  up  the  Blooniingdale 
Poad.  He  always  despised  show  and  ostentation  in  every 
form.  Ko  laclvcy  attended  hiui :  he  held  tlie  reins 
himself.  With  an  estate  of  forty  or  fifty  millions  to 
manage,  nearly  all  actively  emplo^'ed  in  iron-works 
and  railroads,  he  kept  scarcely  any  books,  but  carried  all 
his  larger  affairs  in  his  head,  and  managed  them  without 
the  least  apparent  effort  or  anxiety. 

He  had  already  occupied  a  large  number  and  variety  of 
offices.  Being  asked  where  his  first  was,  he  answered, 
with  a  laugh,  "  On  the  head  of  an  upturned  flour-barrel 
on  the  wharf.     I  kept  my  steamboat  accounts  there  for 


FROM  PLACE  TO  PLACE,  107 

a  year,  and  took  my  cold  dinner  daily  on  that  same 
barrel." 

But  as  early  as  1837  lie  had  an  office  in  South  Street. 
From  there  he  moved  the  next  year  to  !No.  39  Peck  Slip, 
to  the  little  room  np  the  first  flight.  His  agent  was  D, 
B.  Allen,  a  son-in-law,  and  his  clei'k  Lambert  Wardell. 
The  Commodore  was  not  much  of  the  time  in  the  office. 

lie  detested  the  routine  of  office  work  ;  declared  that 
the  ledger  was  a  meaningless  humbug,  and  kept  his  per- 
sonal reckoning  in  a  little  book  which  he  carried  in  his 
vest-pocket.'  'He  hired  men  whom  he  thought  he  could 
trust,  and  then  let  them  do  their  part  of  the  business  in 
their  own  way,  accounting  to  him  only  for  net  resultsJ 

"  How  much  money  is  there  over  to-day  ? "  he  would 
inquire  of  his  agent,  and  ascertaining,  would  put  it  in 
his  pocket  and  carry  it  away  with  him. 

From  Peck  Slip  he  moved  to  Xo.  34  Broadway,  about 
1842,  and  was  burned  out  by  the  great  fire  three  years 
later.  Being  roofless,  and  the  city  being  a  tumult  of 
ruins  and  rebuilding,  he  took  possession  of  an  old  shanty 
on  an  East-side  wharf,  and  kept  his  office  there  all  win- 
ter. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  he  found  fairly  comfortable 
quarters  at  Xo.  8  Battery  Place,  and  remained  till  1855, 
when  he  transferred  his  office  to  Xo.  5  Bowling  Green, 
and  thence,  at  last,  to  JSio.  2  West  Fourth,  in  the  rear  of 
his  house,  where  he  stayed  till  he  left  his  office  for  the 
List  time. 

At  eighty  he  was  still  as  straight  as  an  Indian,  with 
the  elasticity  of  vigorous  manhood  in  his  step,  and  a 
face  of  remarkable  beauty  and  strength. 

He  owed  a  good  deal  of  his  robust  health,  doubtless, 


108  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

to  his  fondness  for  driving.  Ue  possessed,  too,  the  en- 
viable power  of  leaving  his  business  absolutely  in  his 
office,  and  never  letting  it  intrude  on  hours  of  recreation. 
Out  on  the  road  behind  a  fast  team,  or  seated  at  whist 
at  the  Club-House,  he  entered  gayly  into  the  humors  of 
the  moment.  lie  was  rigid  on  one  point  only  :  not  to 
talk  or  hear  of  business  out  of  business  hours. 

He  was  a  good  stoi-y-teller,  and  an  interesting  con- 
verser  concerning  matters  within  his  knowledge,  but  he 
could  seldom  be  coaxed  or  induced  to  make  a  speech. 
After-dinner  oratory  is  mainly  the  result  of  practice, 
and  he  never  practised. 

lie  could  express  his  meaning  with  force,  brevity,  and 
clearness,  and  some  of  his  letters  are  models  of  that  sort 
of  composition.  lie  never  said  a  word  too  much.  War- 
dell,  who  was  at  his  side  for  a  whole  generation,  says  : 
"  In  dictating  a  letter  to  a  clerk  I  never  saw  his  equal." 
But  pen  and  ink  always  had  him  at  a  disadvantage.  His 
English  was  even  worse  than  Xapoleon  Bonaparte's 
French.  He  always  wrote  of  the  reservoir  in  which 
steam  was  generated  as  the  "  boylar,"  and  a  letter  of 
his  is  still  extant  in  which  he  asks  a  friend  to  "  com 
down  and  sea  the  widdow." 

He  could  not  endure  the  office  or  office  work,  and  never 
spent  more  than  an  hour  a  day  there,  except  for  conver- 
sation. He  insisted  that  most  letter-wi'iters  were  idiots 
and  used  ten  times  as  many  words  as  were  necessary.  If 
a  letter  of  more  than  fifteen  lines  were  handed  to  him 
he  would  struggle  through  three  oi-  four  lines  and  then 
toss  it  impatiently  to  a  clerk  with,  "Here,  see  what  this 
(expletive)  fool  is  driving  at,  and  tell  me  the  gist  of 
it ! " 


HIS   PUNCTUALITY.  109 

He  never  kept  money  by  hiin  in  lai'ge  sums,  but  al- 
most always  invested  it  the  very  clay  it  was  received, 
and  generally  had  made  the  arrangements  beforehand. 
He  made  it  a  point  never  to  lose  a  dollar  in  interest 
thi'ongli  lack  of  promptness. 

"  On  one  occasion,"  says  E.  H.  Carmick,  the  Commo- 
doi-e's  associate  in  some  large  transactions,  '"he  and  I 
went  to  Washington,  and  lived  together  at  Willard's 
one  winter.  We  wanted  to  see  John  M.  Clayton,  and 
arranged  to  go  and  call  on  him  on  a  certain  evening. 
When  the  night  came  dense  darkness  came  with  it,  and 
it  rained  pitchforks.  I  said  to  the  Commodore,  '  We 
can't  go  now ;  wait,  and  if  it  slacks  np  we  will  go  over.' 
I  shortly  missed  him,  and  inquiring  for  him,  found  that 
lie  had  gone  to  Clayton's.  When  it  cleared  away,  about 
9  o'clock,  I  took  the  stage,  and  went  over  to  Capitol  Hill, 
where  the  distinguished  Senator  lived.  I  went  in  and 
found  him,  and  the  Commodore  with  him,  playing  whist. 
'  I  didn't  suppose  you  would  come  in  such  a  pouring 
rain,'  I  said.  '  Cai'mick,'  he  said,  'between  you  and  me, 
that's  the  way  I  got  ahead  of  some  of  the  other  boys. 
I  never  failed  to  keep  an  engagement  in  my  life.'  " 

He  rarely  ever  alluded  to  his  fortune,  and  never  boast- 
fully ;  but  Mr,  Carmick  says :  "  We  were  sitting  in  the 
liotel  vestibule  one  night  in  1S53,  with  not  much  to  talk 
about,  when  the  Commodore  said  suddenly,  '  Who's  the 
second  richest  man  in  Xew  York,  Carmick  '{ — next  after 
Astor  ? ' " 

"  I  saw  what  he  was  thinking  of,  but  I  said,  '  Stephen 
Whitney,  I  guess.' 

"  '  How  much  is  Wliitney  worth  ? '  he  asked. 

"  '  Oh,  he  must  be  worth  8T,000,000,'  said  I. 


110  THE  VANDEKBILTS, 

"'H — m!'  he  exclaimed,  'he'll  have  to  be  worth  a 
good  deal  more  than  that  to  be  the  second  richest  man 
in  New  Yo]-k.'  " 

He  did  not  appear  to  understand  the  cause  of  his 
own  prosperity,  and  perhaps  he  really  did  not  under- 
^stand  it. 

1^  Being  asked  one  day  what  he  considered  to  be  the 
secret  of  success  in  business,  he  I'eplied  : 

"  Secret  ?  There  is  no  secret  about  it.  All  you  have 
to  do  is  to  attend  to  your  business,  and  go  ahead.",  J 

He  would  doubtless  have  sympathized  with  the  great 
composer  who,  being  asked  to  define  genius  said : 
"  Genius  ?— industry  !  " 


When  asked  on  another  occasion  to  tell  the  secret  of 


his  success,  he  replied  :  "  Never  to  tell  anything  I'm  go- 
ing to  do  till  I've  done  it !  "  | 

Like  Astor,  Stewart,  Drew,  Dean  Richmond,  and 
other  wealthy  men,  he  was  close  at  a  bargain,  and 
watched  his  pennies  more  carefully  than  the  average  of 
his  fellows.  When  he  was  worth  $50,000,000  he  econ- 
omized in  the  snme  old  way,  and  in  making  out  certifi- 
cates of  stock,  would  always  lump  as  many  shares  as 
possible  together,  in  order  to  save  the  twenty-five  cents 
internal-revenue  tax  on  each  certificate. 

His  personal  habits  of  daily  life,  after  his  seventy-fifth 
year,  underwent  little  change.  He  still  rose  very  early, 
and  took  a  light  breakfast,  skimming  the  morning 
papers  at  table.  These,  indeed,  were  about  all  that  lie 
ever  read,  excepting  "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  which  he  en- 
joyed conning  over  and  over. 

After  breakfast  he  would  go  to  his  ju'ivate  office, 
around  on  Fourth  Street,  and  there  stay  dispatching  busi- 


WIILST,    AND    A    STORY.  Ill 

ness  and  eliattiiig  ^vith  friends  till  11  o'clock.  Then  he 
would  inspect  his  liorses  in  the  adjacent  stable,  and  those 
whom  he  liked  were  asked  to  attend  the  inspection. 
After  this  ceremony  he  returned  home,  to  chat  with  liis 
children  or  grandchildren  and  dress  for  dinner.  The 
afternoon  furnished  him  an  opportunity  to  drive  np  tlie 
island,  and  his  turn-out  was  one  of  the  finest  on  the  road. 
Supper  was  served  at  6  o'clock. 

He  ate  sparingly  at  all  times,  and  of  the  plainest  and 
most  wholesome  things  ;  rarely  took  wine,  and  generally 
retired  at  10  o'clock. 

At  both  office  and  house  he  was  easily  accessible  ;  he 
never  refused  to  see  any  caller,  however  humble,  but  he 
had  uncommon  discernment,  and  if  the  visitor  lacked 
a  sufficient  errand  he  was  capable  of  being  sharp,  and 
even  rude,  exclaiming :  "  Come !  speak  quick  and  be 
off ! " 

He  spent  at  least  half  of  his  evenings  at  home,  but  he 
was  as  fond  of  whist  as  Talleyrand,  and  insisted  upon 
"  the  rio-ors  of  the  o;ame  "  like  Mrs.  Battle.  Therefoi-e 
it  was  that  he  was  a  member  of  three  clubs  in  which 
whist  was  considered  the  great  social  duty.  The  party 
at  Saratoga,  where  he  spent  a  portion  of  every  summei-, 
was  very  exclusive.  A  stranger  was  never  taken  into 
the  game,  and  seldom  permitted  to  watch  its  progress. 

On  account  of  his  early  association  with  sailors,  pro- 
fanity was  an  established  habit  of  his  life.  If  he  did 
not  swear  very  wickedly,  he  swore  frequently  ;  indeed, 
it  was  found  that  he  often  indulged  in  forbidden  forms 
of  speech  when  quite  unconscious  of  it. 

Dr.  Deems  relates  a  surprising  and  amusing  instance 
of  this.     He  was  dining  there  one  day,  and  sitting,  as  he 


112  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

usually  did,  at  the  Commodore's  left,  when  his  host  told 
a  story  of  his  early  life. 

"  I  had  just  finished  the  Caroline,  my  first  steamboat," 
he  began,  as  he  carved  the  beef,  "  and  I  was  mighty 
proud  of  her,  I  tell  you  !  When  the  last  bit  of  paint 
was  dry,  I  liired  a  caterer  to  spread  a  banquet  in  the 
cabin — just  a  bang-up  dinner — nicest  lie  could  get. 
Then  I  h'isted  the  flags  and  Avent  over  to  the  island  to 
see  motlier.  I  went  and  got  'er  and  fetched  'er  down  to 
the  wharf — I  remember  it,  Doctor,  as  if  'twas  only  last 
week — and  I  escorted  lier  aboard  and  shosved  her  the 
gay  decks  and  the  engine,  and  the  galley,  and  finally 
took  'er  into  the  cabin,  where  the  banquet  was  spread, 
and  set  'er  down  at  the  head  of  the  table.  I  never  see 
anybody  so  astonished  as  she  was  when  I  told  her  it  was 
all  mine.  '  Cornele,'  she  asked,  looking  up,  '  whei'e  the 
d 1  did  you  git  this  dinner  ? '  " 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it !  "  exclaimed  the  Doctor. 

"  AYhat  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  the  narrator,  flinging 
down  his  knife  and  fork. 

"You've  got  up  the  3'arn,'' persisted  his  guest.  "I 
don't  believe  you  had  any  boat,  or  any  dinner,  or  that 
your  mother  was  there,  or  anything  al)Out  it." 

"  You  mean  to  tell  me  I  lie  ?  "  exclaimed  the  Com- 
modore, flushing  to  the  roots  of  his  white  hair. 

"  I  am  not  permitted  to  use  such  language  at  3'our 
table,"  answered  the  clergyman ;  "  I  am  your  guest. 
But-  when  you  tell  me  that  that  pious  woman,  your 
mother,  on  coming  on  board  your  boat,  said, '  where  the 

d 1  did  you  get  that  dinner  ? '  I  know  better,  and  it 

throws  doubt  on  the  whole  story." 

"  Aw  I  "    exclaimed  the  raconteur,  in  disgust ;   "  I'm 


DEATH   AFTER   THE   GOLDEN    WEDDING.        113 

mad  at  myself  that  I  don't  break  off  tliat  mean,  low, 
dirty  habit.  It's  a  shame  !  I  wish  you'd  always  correct 
me  when  I  swear,  Doctor.'' 

The  Commodore  met  with  his  greatest  earthly  loss  in 
the  death  of  his  wife,  on  August  IT,  1808.  It  occurred 
at  the  residence  of  Horace  F.  Clark,  her  son-in-law,  where 
she  was  visiting.  Her  husband  hurried  to  her  side 
from  Saratoga,  a  few  days  before  her  death.  She  was 
a  noble  woman,  with  strong  qualities,  supreme  affection, 
frugality,  self-denial.  She  had  borne  thirteen  children, 
and  had  reared  twelve  of  them  to  adult  life.  For  more 
than  half-a-century  she  had  been  the  charm  of  her  hus- 
band's home,  the  sharer  of  his  anxieties  and  his  labors, 
acquiescent  and  patient  under  the  sway  of  his  dominant 
will  and  in  the  presence  of  his  trying  moods.  The  fact 
that  she  lived  harmoniously  with  such  an  obstinate  man 
bears  strong  testimony  to  her  character.  She  was  buried 
in  the  Commodore's  tomb  in  the  Moravian  Cemetery  at 
Xew  Dorp,*  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  affectionate 
friends. 

She  was  of  simple  tastes  and  habits,  and  never  learned 
to  feel  quite  at  home  amid  the  great  and  splendid  city. 
She  clung  closely  to  the  acquaintances  of  her  youth,  and 
used  to  tell  those  incredulous  and  amazed  hearers  that 
the  happiest  days  of  her  life  were  those  spent  in  hard 
work  in  the  half-way  tavern  at  Xew  Brunswick,  and 
that  she  liked  the  house  that  her  husband  had  built  on 
Staten  Island,  with  all  the  children  romping  on  the  lawn 
or  swarming  in  to  teaze  her  with  their  innumerable 
wants,  far,  far  better  than  the  prim  mansion  on  Wash- 
ington Place. 

*  Among  the  pall-bearers  were  A.  T.  Stewart  and  Horace  Greeley. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

FAMILY   MATTERS, 

His  Grandchildren — Cornelius,  Jr.,  and  William  K.  at  Work — The 
Thorn  in  the  Flesh — Horace  Greeley- — "  Cornele's  Wife  " — The 
Commodore  Marries  at  Eighty — His  Wife's  Influence. 

By  this  time  most  of  the  eleven  survivors  of  the 
thirteen  children  of  the  Commodore  wei'e  married,  and 
had  children  of  their  own  to  take  care  of. 

"William  II.  had  made  rapid  inroads  upon  his  father^s 
confidence,  until  he  was  completely  trusted  to  carry  out 
all  the  details  of  his  schemes.  He  was  not  allowed  to 
share  his  business  secrets :  nobody  was.  Being  asked, 
two  or  three  years  since,  if  he  could  furnish  much 
material  for  a  life  of  his  father,  he  answered,  "  Ko, 
none  ;  I  knew  nothing  about  him.  As  to  his  business 
methods,  I  never  understood  them,  and  if  he  had 
thought  his  overcoat  did  he  would  have  burnt  it  up  !  " 

The  man  who  was  now  his  father's  predestined  heir 
lived  in  a  handsome  house  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fortieth 
Street,  with  his  growing  family.  His  father  M'as  regard- 
ing anxiously  liis  two  oldest  grandsons,  Cornelius  and 
"William  Kissam  Yanderbilt,  already  emerged  into  man- 
hood. In  fact,  he  had  regarded  them  anxiously  and 
incredulously  for  many  years,  and  did  not  liesitate  to 
express  his  opinion  that  those  "youngsters"  Avould  be 
"  spoilt."     Spoilt  by  petting  and  indolence,  he  meant. 


THE   BOYS    AT    WORK.  115 

The  Commodore  had  an  idea  that  most  boys  were 
doomed  to  be  mined,  and  that  nothing  on  earth  could 
save  them  except  hard  and  disagreeable  work.  To  pnt 
them  at  some  severe  service  about  as  soon  as  they  en- 
tered their  teens,  and  compel  them  to  support  themselves 
— that  was  his  panacea  for  the  evils  that  beset  youth. 

"  If  a  boy  is  good  for  anything  you  can  stick  him 
down  anywhere  and  he'll  earn  his  living  and  lay  up 
something  ;  if  he  can't  do  it  he  ain't  worth  saving,  and 
you  can't  save  him."  That  was  his  inflexible  rule.  He 
had  applied  it  to  both  William  and  "  Cornele,"  his  sons, 
and  now  he  urged  its  application  to  his  grandsons. 

Their  father  was  not  loth  to  adopt  the  rule,  for  he 
thought  there  was  something  in  it,  so  when  the  eldest, 
Cornelius,  was  sixteen  years  old,  a  clerkship  was  obtained 
for  him  in  the  Shoe  and  Leather  Bank.  He  served  veiy 
faithfully  and  soon  mastered  the  work  required  of  him. 

John  M.  Crane,  president  of  the  bank,  says :  "  I  do 
not  now  see  much  of  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  as  our  paths  lie 
apart,  but  when  he  was  here  he  was,  I  think,  the  most 
single-minded  and  conscientious  worker  I  ever  saw. 
He  was  not  merely  honest — most  bank  clerks  are  that 
— but  he  was  intellectually  precise,  and  worried  if  a  cent 
were  missing  in  the  accounts.  He  M-as  thoroughly  fair- 
minded,  too,  and  always  did  exactly  as  he  agreed,  show- 
ing, in  every  way,  not  only  a  careful  bringing  up  but  a 
kindly  nature." 

It  is  related  that  one  of  his  uncles,  going  to  Europe 
for  the  Commodoi'e,  invited  the  lad  to  accompany  him, 
and  agreed  to  pay  his  expenses.  It  was  a  rare  chance. 
The  young  clerk  applied  to  the  president  for  leave-of- 
absence.     "Yes,  you  can  cro ,"  was  the  answer;  '•  but  of 


116  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

course  yon  will  lose  your  salary  for  the  two  months." 
Cornelius  found  that  this  would  be  8100,  whereupon  ho 
immediately  discarded  the  temptation  and  remained 
through  the  summer  at  his  desk.  Cornelius  was  in  the 
Shoe  and  Leather  Bank  three  years,  going  into  the 
Treasurer's  office  at  the  Grand  Central  Depot  in  1865, 
when  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  His  next  younger 
brother  went  to  school  more,  but  in  18T0  he  left  the 
Academy  at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  returned  to  New 
Yoi'k,  and  joined  his  brother  in  the  office.  Both  were 
put  at  the  bottom,  and  compelled  to  learn  the  tedious 
routine  of  the  business. 

The  Commodore's  second  son,  Cornelius  Jeremiah, 
was  a  thorn  in  his  flesh  and  a  source  of  constant  annoy- 
ance. Since  he  ran  away  in  his  eighteenth  year,  and 
fled  to  California  as  a  sailor,  and  his  father  retaliated 
by  locking  him  up  as  a  lunatic,  the  two  had  been  on  the 
worst  possible  terms.  Indeed,  they  scarcely  spoke  when 
they  met,  except  for  mutual  reproaches.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  such  a  rare  specimen  of  vigorous  energy, 
thrift,  and  virility  as  the  father  was — a  king  among  men 
— lacked  patience  for  this  flaccid,  nerveless,  shiftless, 
reckless  son  ;  this  sickly  epileptic  and  spendthrift.  Xo 
two  men  could  be  more  unlike.  To  see  each  other  was 
nmtually  exasperating.  The  son  was  accustomed  to  ap- 
ply to  his  father,  wlien  speaking  of  him  to  others,  all 
the  uncomplimentary  epithets  in  the  thesaurus,  and  the 
old  gentleman  would  complain,  "  I'd  give  one  hundred 
dollars  if  he  never'd  been  named  Cornelius  !  "  A  hun- 
dred dollars,  curiously  enough,  was  usually  about  the 
highest  limit  of  his  offers  of  imaginary  bonuses  for  the 
unattainable  thiuiis  which  he  wanted. 


"CORNELE"    and   GREELEY.  117 

Cornelius  Jeremiah  was  a  tall,  angular,  tliin,  cadaver- 
ous-looking man,  with  faded  eyes,  tawny  hair,  and  scrag- 
gly  beard,  nervous,  suspicious,  petulent,  and  almost  con- 
tinually in  bad  health,  lie  was  known,  more  than  once, 
to  fall  in  a  lit  at  a  gaming  table,  recover,  and  play  on. 

For  nearly  a  score  of  years  he  lived  away  from  home 
on  an  allowance,  and  obtained  access  to  his  father  only 
throug-h  tlie  intercession  of  friends  — of tenest  of  the 
young  man's  mother.  Her  heart  always  warmed  to- 
ward him,  and  frequently  she  gave  him  money  to  pay 
his  debts  incurred  in  gambling  or  other  imprudence. 

In  these  straits,  when  he  could  no  longer  get  at  home 
the  money  he  needed,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  boi-rowing 
it  of  some  of  the  friends  of  his  father.  One  of  these 
whom  he  found  most  useful  for  his  purpose  M'as  that 
careless  and  generous  philosopher,  Horace  Greeley, 
who  at  any  time  found  it  more  agreeable  to  give  than 
to  refuse,  and  more  easy  to  give  at  once  and  get  rid  of 
the  suppliant,  than  to  spend  time  ascertaining  what  he 
did  with  his  money.  It  was  difficult  for  the  waywai'd 
■  man  to  get  money  from  his  father  in  his  frequent  emer- 
gencies, but  Mr.  Greeley's  pocket  was  always  on  tap 
without  any  unpleasant  questions.  So  the  editor  of  the 
Tribune  got  into  the  habit  of  lending  "  Cornele  "  hun- 
dreds and  even  thousands  at  a  time — sometimes  ten 
thousand  at  a  time,  Nvhen  his  own  family  sorely  needed 
the  money. 

The  Commodore  heard  of  this,  and  supposing,  of 
course,  that  Mr.  Greeley  was  being  deceived  and  would 
look  to  him  for  reimbursement,  determined  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  outburst  of  mistaken  liberality.  So,  climbing  the 
crooked  little  wooden  stairs  on  Spruce  Street  one  day,  and 


118  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

marching  with  heavy  tread  into  the  sanctum,  wliich 
was  always  open,  he  greeted  the  editor  abruptly  with, 
"  Greeley,  I  hear  you  are  lending  Cornele  money." 

Mr.  Greeley  took  time  to  finish  the  sentence  he  had 
begun  to  write,  and  then  drawled  out,  "  Yes  ;  I  have  let 
him  have  some." 

"  Well,  now,  I  give  you  fair  warning  that  you  needn't 
look  to  me.     I  won't  pay  it !  " 

"  Who  the  devil  asked  you  ?  "  rejoined  Greeley.  "  I 
haven't,  have  I  ?  " 

Not  another  word  was  said  on  either  side,  and  the 
wrathful  Commodoi-e  stalked  out. 

When  Mr.  Greeley  died,  in  1872,  the  Commodore  re- 
lented somewhat — sufficiently  to  send  to  each  of  the  edit- 
or's daughters  a  check  for  $10,000  ;  an  amount  which  was 
found  to  be  much  needed. 

It  is  not  known  that  "  Cornele  "  ever  did  but  one 
thing  that  pleased  his  father  :  that  was  when  he  married 
Miss  Williams,  of  Hartford,  a  lady  whom  the  old  gentle- 
man liked.  He  not  only  approved  the  choice,  but  he 
liked  the  idea  of  his  son's  settling  down  in  marriage. 
He  thought  that  such  a  step  might  have  the  effect  of 
straightening  out  a  career  that  had  been  very  zigzag, 
and  his  youngest  son  might  at  last  cease  to  be,  as  he 
called  him  to  his  face  whenever  they  met,  "  a  disgrace 
to  the  family." 

But  when  the  young  husband  ventured  to  ask  for 
money  to  build  a  house  in  Hartford,  it  was  refused. 
"  ]^o,  Cornele,"  was  the  answer ;  "  you've  got  to  show 
that  you  can  be  trusted  before  I  trust  you."  Then  the 
wife  was  induced  to  repeat  the  request.  He  had  some 
little  confidence  in  her  judgment  and  honest}',  and  he 


THE   COMMODORE   MARRIES   AGAIN.  119 

frankly  told  her  so,  adding,  "  How  much  can  you  get 
along  with  ?  " 

"  Ten  thousand  dollars,"  was  the  reply. 

He  drew  his  check  for  it  and  handed  it  to  her,  advis- 
ing her  to  make  it  go  as  far  as  she  could. 

A  few  months  later  she  made  her  appearance  again. 
He  was  not  surprised,  and  doubtless  said  to  himself, 
"  Here  she  is  again  ;  wants  S5,000  more." 

"  Well,  what  now  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Nothing," papa  ;  only  I've  brought  back  $1,500  ;  it 
was  more  than  we  needed,  and  I've  brought  you  what's 
left." 

The  Commodore  was  thunderstruck.  Such  a  tliino- 
had  never  before  happened  to  him  in  the  whole  course 
of  his  life.  Perhaps  it  was  guileless  innocence  on  her 
part,  and  perhaps  it  was  far-sighted  shrewdness;  at  any 
rate  it  worked  to  a  charm.  Thenceforth  "  Cornele's 
wife  "  could  get  anytiiing  out'of  her  father-in-law. 

This  lady  died  ten  years  before  her  husband,  and  left 
liini  a  very  helpless  creature.  He  was  confined  to  an 
allowance  of  $200  a  week,  and  spent  most  of  his  time 
complaining  of  the  stinginess  of  his  father  for  giving 
liim  such  a  niggardly  pittance. 

Just  after  the  war  a  Mrs.  Crawford  moved  to  New 
York  City  from  Mobile,  Ala.,  where  the  fortunes  of 
the  family  had  been  badly  shattered  by  the  conflict. 
With  her  came  her  daughter,  Frank  A.,  a  young  woman 
of  uncommon  intelligence,  refinement,  and  pei-sonal  at- 
tractiveness. She  was  tall,  handsome,  graceful,  and  well 
educated,  and  she  supported  herself  here  by  teaching 
music.  On  her  father's  side  she  Avas  related  to  ex- 
Yice -president  Crawford,  and  one  of  her  great-grand- 


120  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

fathers  was  Samuel  Hand,  a  brother  of  Commodore 
Yanderbilt's  mother,  Pliebe  Hand. 

This  last  relationship  was  the  cause  of  an  acqnaint- 
ance  springing  np  with  the  Commodore  and  his  children. 
Nothing  was  thought  of  it  till  a  year  after  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Yanderbilt,  when  the  widower  and  Miss  Craw- 
ford encountered  each  other  at  Saratoga.  It  was  the  old 
story — a  walk  on  the  balconies,  a  drive  in  the  moon- 
light, a  jocular  exchange,  a  laughable  challenge  to  mat- 
rimony from  the  venerable  suitor  and  at  Jast  a  serious 
proposal. 

He  entertained  a  good  deal  of  doubt  whether  Miss 
Crawford  would  accept  him,  and  communicated  his  ap- 
prehensions to  one  or  two  confidential  fiiends.  But  she 
did,  after  thinking  of  it  a  proper  length  of  time.  Then 
he  wrote  to  her  with  charming  naivete  :  "  You  are  mak- 
ing a  gi'eat  sacrifice  in  marrying  me.  You  have  youth, 
beauty,  virtue,  talent,  and  all  that  is  lovely  in  a  woman, 
and  I  have  nothing  to  give  you  in  return  ! " 

Miss  Crawford  said  she  would  marry  him  if  he  would 
send  for  Dr.  Charles  F.  Deems,  her  Xew  York  pastor. 
The  Commodore  telegraphed  to  him,  but  he  was  absent, 
and  it  was  determined  not  to  make  a  telegraphic  seai'ch 
for  him.  A  trip  to  Niagara  was  proposed  and  agreed 
to  ;  they  made  a  rapid  journey,  crossed  to  Canada,  and 
in  the  town  of  London,  half  way  to  Detroit,  a  young 
Wesleyan  minister  was  summoned  and  the  marriage 
cei'emony  was  performed. 

Two  friends  who  had  accompanied  them  in  their  droll 
elopement,  Augustus  Schell  and  Superintendent  Tilling- 
hast,  of  the  Centi'al,  were  witnesses  of  tlie  marriage. 
Then  they  returned   to  New    York.     Being  spoken   to 


FREDERICK    W.   VANDERBII.T. 


A  srccESSFUL  vp:nture.  121 

about  it,  tlie  lively  old  bridegroom  said,  "  I  didn't  want 
to  raise  a  iioise  in  the  United  States,  so  I  slipped  over 
to  Canada  and  had  it  done  up  in  a  jiffy,  and  I  guess  the 
knot  was  well  tied." 

The  Commodore  never  bought  a  coat-of-arms  or  even 
searched  for  one,  and  he  did  not  boast  of  his  ''  blood," 
yet  he  seems  to  have  had  a  strong  prejudice  in  favor  of 
his  own,  for  the  ladies  whom  he  selected  for  his  wives 
were  both  his  cousins. 

The  marriage  was  received  with  surprise  and  consider- 
able disfavor  by  other  members  of  his  family.  They  of 
course  thought  they  knew  better  than  he  did  about  such 
mattei'S,  and  they  remarked  to  each  other  and  even  to 
their  friends  that  it  was  hardly  necessary  for  him  to 
take  another  spouse.  Old  saws  were  quoted  to  his  dis- 
advantage. 

But  the  graceful  intruder  possessed  both  amiability 
and  tact,  and  she  brought  her  whole  fund  of  attractions 
to  bear  in  winning  the  hearts  of  her  new  relations.  It  did 
not  take  long  for  her  to  make  herself  beloved,  as  she 
liad  always  been  respected.  To  be  the  young  wife  of 
the  leading  millionaire  of  the  country  w^as  a  trying  role, 
but  she  was  equal  to  its  exactions,  and  she  brought  to 
the  old  man  much  happiness  and  solace  during  his  re- 
maining years. 

Nay,  more ;  she  introduced  a  new  element  of  Chris- 
tian gentleness  into  his  home,  and  even  modified  his 
character  and  habits.  For  her  he  yielded  to  the  claims 
of  a  wise  charity.  For  her  he  tried  to  tone  down  the 
rough  language  which  he  had  picked  up  about  the  wharfs 
in  his  youth.  For  her  and  with  her  he  began  to  go  to 
church.  Di-.  Deems  has  written :  "  The  religious  germ 
6 


122  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

planted  in  his  youth  was  to  be  developed  under  the 
kindly  cultivation  of  a  yonnger  nature,  strange  to  his 
long  antecedent  career.  It  was  the  mission  of  his  second 
wife  to  rescue  from  its  burden  of  worldliness  the  intrin- 
sic goodness  surviving  in  liis  soul,  and  to  inspire  the 
benevolent  deeds  that  crowned  his  days." 

The  Doctor  tells  of  an  incident  illustrating  this  change 
in  the  old  man's  moods : 

"  I  went  in  one  day  and  found  him  on  the  sofa  in 
tears.  '  Why,  what's  the  matter,  Commodore  ? '  I  asked. 
'  Oh,'  he  said, '  I've  been  a-swearing  again,  and  I'm  sorry. 
I'd  ought  to  stop  it,  my  wife  such  a  pious  woman  and 
you  and  other  religious  folks  coming  to  see  ns,  and  it's 
a  shame  that  I  don't.'  I  told  him  that  such  a  battle  was 
about  the  same  as  a  victory,  and  that  God  probably 
looked  at  the  heart  rather  than  the  lips." 

After  his  second  marriage  he  took  more  pains  about 
appearances  than  ever  before.  He  grew  more  gentle 
and  acquiescent  and  manageable.  He  acquired  some  re- 
spect for  conventionalities.  He  substituted  new  carpets 
for  the  old  ones  which  he  had  hitherto  thought  good 
enough.  He  ceased  to  attend  spiritualistic  "seances" 
and  to  communicate  with  Captain  George  and  Fhebe 
Hand  through  that  precarious  avenue.  He  M'ent  no 
more  to  the  Manhattan  Club,  and  even  quitted  his  card 
clubs.  After  that,  his  friends  of  the  social  quartet  liad 
to  come  to  the  house  if  they  wanted  to  play  whist  with 
him.  His  children  weie  all  married  off,  and  he  had 
more  than  thirty  gi'andchildren,  to  whom,  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life,  be  began  to  play  the  part  of  mysterious 
generosity  and  personate  Santa  Claus  at  Christmas. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FATHER   AND   SON. 

Buying  New  Roads  Westward — Building  the  Grand  Central  Depot — 
William  H.'s  Office  Habits— Overwork— A  Glance  at  His  Mail— 
A  Good-Natiired  Pessimist — The  Complacent  Commodore. 

All  of  Commodore  Yanderbilt's  railroad  interests  were 
now  prosperous  under  the  joint  management  of  him- 
self and  liis  son.  In  November,  1SG9,  on  the  consol- 
idation of  the  Hudson  River  and  Central,  he  became 
President  and  William  H.  Vice-president  of  the  system 
— one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  corporate  en- 
terprises in  the  world.  The  stock,  which  i-anged  from 
T5  to  120  in  1867,  now  touched  200,  although  the  amount 
was  doubled. 

The  Commodore  had  always  been  averse  to  going 
west  of  Buffalo.  "  If  we  take  hold  of  roads  running 
all  the  way  to  Chicago,"  he  was  M-ont  to  say,  "  we 
miofht  as  well  g:o  to  San  Francisco  and  to  China."  But 
circumstances  are  stronger  than  logic,  or  any  one  man's 
will,  and  they  now  compelled  liim  to  modify  his  purpose, 
or  at  any  rate  his  conduct.  The  same  conflict  of  rival 
interests  that  made  it  necessary  to  drive  Corning,  Pruyn, 
and  Keep  out  of  the  Central,  and  extend  his  manage- 
ment to  Buffalo,  now  commanded  a  union  with  the 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southei-n  to  enable  him  to 
hold  his  own  among  the  trunk  lines. 


124  THE   VAISTDERBILTS, 

His  son-in-law,  Horace  F.  Clark,  had  made  some  large 
operations  in  Lake  Shore  as  early  as  1870,  had  become 
its  President,  and  had  bolstered  up  its  stock  in  the  mar- 
ket because  of  his  relationship  to  "  the  Railroad  Em- 
peror."^ He  died  suddenly  in  1873,  and  the  Commo- 
dore finding  himself  obliged  to  sustain  the  property, 
concluded  that  the  easiest  way  to  do  so  was  to  buy 
it.  This,  in  a  few  years,  made  necessary  the  acquire- 
ment of  the  Canada  Southern  and  Michigan  Central, 
which  was  accomplished  under  the  immediate  adminis- 
tration of  his  son.  These  auxiliaries  of  the  New  York 
Central  were  imposed  by  the  purchase  of  the  Great 
"Western  by  the  Grand  Trunk,  and  they  gave  "  the  Yan- 
derbilt  system"  a  needed  terminus  in  Chicago. 

During  these  years,  too,  the  Commodore,  now  almost 
eighty  years  old,  began  and  pushed  to  completion  the 
vast  enterprise  by  which  the  northern  railroads  obtain 
entrance  to  New  York  City.  He  obtained  a  charter 
from  the  Legislature  authoi'izing  the  erection  of  an  im- 
mense Union  depot  at  Fourth  Avenue  and  Forty -second 
Street,  and  giving  him  the  use  of  the  avenue  thence  to 
Harlem  (previously  occupied  only  by  the  surface  rails 
of  the  Harlem  Railroad)  for  an  elaborate  series  of  un- 
derground or  viaduct  tracks  conducting  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  metropolis  the  trains  of  the  Central  and 
Hudson  River,  the  Harlem,  and  the  Kew  Haven  and 
Boston  lines.  The  old  man's  brain  was  as  accessible 
to  new  ideas  as  ever,  as  is  evident  by  his  adoption  of 
iron  trusses  springing  from  the  ground  for  the  support 
of  the  immense  roof  of  the  depot,  which  was  one  of  the 
very  latest  facts  in  the  development  of  the  use  of  iron 
in  building. 


WILLIAM    H.    AT   WORK.  125 

The  legislative  enactment  "  allowed  "  the  cit}'  to  as- 
sume one-half  of  the  cost  of  the  spacious  subterranean 
way,  and  upon  the  acceptance  of  this  provision  by  the 
aldermen,  the  '*  Fourth  Avenue  Improvement,"  as  it 
was  called,  was  immediately  begun.  This  remarkable 
achievement  is  too  recent  and  too  well  known  to  need 
particular  description.  It  cost  $6,500,000  for  the  su- 
■perbly  constructed  viaducts,  tunnels,  and  bridges.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  trains  pass  through  them  daily,  and 
the  success  with  which  the  whole  is  managed  is  the 
marvel  of  eno-ineerino-. 

The  completion  of  a  side-cut  from  the  Hudson  River 
Railroad,  at  Spuyten  Diiyvel,  following  the  creek  of  that 
name  to  Harlem,  thus  furnishing  a  continuous  branch  to 
the  Forty-second  Street  Depot,  was  the  culmination  of 
the  stupendous  project  which  has  its  origin  in  a  brain 
covered  with  the  silver  of  four-score  years.  The  Com- 
modore was  now  ably  seconded  by  the  indefatigable 
labors  and  constant  vigilance  of  William  H.,  whom  he 
had  learned  to  trust  implicitly  and  even  advise  with, 
but  he  did  not  relinquish  a  jot  either  of  his  responsibility 
or  his  power. 

William  H.  Yanderbilt  had  learned  a  good  deal  in  ten 
years.  He  was  not  a  brilliant  original  thinker  and  bold 
planner,  like  his  father,  but  he  was,  unlike  his  father, 
careful,  methodical,  and  industrious  in  familiarising  him- 
self with  routine  work.  Indeed,  this  prodigal  devotion  to 
details  was  his  weakness.  He  resolved,  on  entering  the 
office  of  the  Yanderbilt  roads  as  their  Vice-president,  to 
acquaint  himself  thoroughly  with  the  practical  working 
of  each  department.  He  would  not  only  mark  every 
check,  see  every  bill,  revise  eveiy  contract,  and  inspect 


126  THE   YANDERBILTS. 

every  voucher  of  the  finance  department,  but  he  would 
make  himself  master  of  transportation,  construction,  and 
equipment ;  he  w-ould  examine  every  engine,  know  every 
engineer,  keep  watch  of  the  coal-bin,  find  out  what  a 
new  culvert  ought  to  cost,  have  an  eye  on  the  ticket- 
office,  stop  all  the  leakages  in  the  repair-shops,  supervise 
the  purchases  of  steel-rails  and  chestnut  ties,  look  into 
the  printing-office — in  fact,  he  M'ould  find  out  evevy- 
thing  there  was  to  know.  He  attempted  the  impossi- 
ble :  a  tremendous  work,  for  which  the  eyes  of  Argus 
and  the  hands  of  Briareus  would  have  been  too  few. 
Is^o  one  man  could  do  what  he  laid  out  for  himself. 

For  a  few  years  he  adhered  to  his  determination.  He 
penetrated  into  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  system. 
He  had  become  suspicious  of  others  in  his  management 
of  the  Staten  Island  farm,  and  now  he  did  not  try  to 
keep  his  suspicion  from  the  knowledge  of  his  employes. 
He  investigated  every  part  of  the  vast  business,  moving 
swiftly,  and  making  his  appearance  unexpectedly.  The 
immediate  result  was  a  steady  improvement  in  the  mor- 
ale of  the  men,  and  in  the  effectiveness  of  the  roads. 
Trains  were  on  time.  There  was  no  hocus-pocusing  of 
contracts.     Stealing  was  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  did  not  object  to  desk-work,  but  he 
had  not  that  genius  for  shirking  which  has  saved  so 
many  lives — the  ability  to  turn  over  the  easy  routine 
work  to  other  and  cheaper  men.  If  there  was  a  letter 
to  write  he  did  not  want  to  dictate  it — he  wanted  to 
write  it.  He  answered  with  his  own  hand  all  the  let- 
ters he  could.  He  did  his  woi'k  laboriously,  and  per- 
formed a  vast  amount  of  drudgery  which  executive  of- 
ficers usually  assign   to  clerks.     He  insisted  in  reading 


GLANCE   AT   HIS   LETTERS.  127 

liis  own  business  correspondence,  although  snrronnded 
by  men  who  liad  attested  their  fidelity  to  his  interests 
by  many  years  of  service.  He  could  not  be  induced  to 
employ  a  phonographer,  or  permit  others  to  dictate  let- 
ters for  him.  lie  tried  to  take  np  the  whole  establish- 
ment and  carry  it  at  arms'  length.  This  making  him- 
self a  slave  of  minor  details  which  he  might  have  and 
ought  to  have  shifted  upon  others,  constantly  tended  to 
increase  his  irritability  and  to  break  down  his  health. 

In  conversation  he  was  sometimes  abrupt  and  brusque 
to  the  vei'ge  of  rudeness,  but  he  did  not  possess  the  power 
of  annihilating  an  impudent  applicant  with  that  impei'- 
ious  scorn  and  majestic  insolence  of  which  his  father 
■was  a  master.  He  was  a  pessimist  of  a  cheerful  sort, 
and  thought  men  and  women,  as  a  rule,  "a  pretty  bad 
lot ;"  generally  expressing  his  opinion  of  the  aggregate 
in  a  good-humored,  chaffing  sort  of  way,  which  implied 
distrust  rather  than  dislike.  Whoever  has  a  chance  to 
look  into  the  eleven  bulky  volumes  of  bound  letters 
which  William  H.  Yanderbilt  preserved  as  racy  samples 
of  their  kind — letters  from  rascals,  proposing  shady 
schemes ;  from  charlatans  and  cranks,  offering  "  valuable 
assistance  ; "  from  "  socialists,"  threatening  to  kill  him  at 
a  specified  time  and  place;  from  women  by  the  hundred, 
inclosing  photographs  and  asking  to  see  him  ;  fi-om  min- 
isters begging  for  churches,  and  mendicants  of  every 
degree  begging  for  themselves — will  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  his  low  opinion  of  human  nature  had  a  most 
reasonable  foundation.  He  thought  everybody  in  the 
world  was  ready  to  take  advantage  of  him,  and  looked 
upon  every  stranger  as  either  a  foe  whom  he  had  yet  to 
meet  or  a  suppliant  whom  he  must  yet  refuse.     But  his 


128  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

large  fund  of  buoyancy  and  bonbommie  saved  bim  from 
falling  into  a  petnlent  niisantbropy. 

Botb  be  and  bis  fatber  bad  tbe  experience  of  otber 
ricb  men  in  enconntering  flunkies  at  every  turn.  Con- 
scions  tbat  tbeydid  not  know  everytbing  by  a  good  deal, 
tbey  wanted  to  obtain  an  bonest  opinion  from  tbose  witli 
wbom  tbey  came  into  contact.  Mr.  Depew  says  :  "  I 
bave  frequently  seen  a  look  of  distress  on  Mr.  Vander- 
l)ilt's  face  Avlien  be  was  talking  witli  a  number  of  friends, 
because  be  could  see  tbat  tbey  were  evidently  trj'ing  to 
learn  tbe  bent  of  bis  wisbes,  so  tbat  tbey  migbt  follow 
bim.  Wbat  be  M'anted  was  an  bonest  expression  of  per- 
sonal opinion,  and  be  found  few  men  independent 
enougb  to  give  bim  tbeir  real  opinions  if  tbey  differed 
from  Ills  own.  He  knew  tbat  bis  judgment  was  not  in- 
fallible, and  be  was  anxious  to  learn  tbe  real  trutb  about 
tilings  and  to  obtain  tbe  candid  opinions  of  otbers  in 
regard  to  tbem.  He  migbt  differ  witli  a  man  and  con- 
test bis  reasoning,  but  bis  own  opinion  was  often  modi- 
fied by  wbat  otbers  said." 

Like  Ills  fatber,  he  was  perfectly  democratic  in  bis  in- 
stincts. He  was  easily  accessible  to  any  visitor  mIio  bad 
a  rigbt  to  bis  attention,  and  all  were  treated  alike 
wbetber  worth  millions  or  nothing  at  all.  He  wanted 
no  preposterous  coat-of-arms.  He  never  wore  jewelry 
or  made  any  show  of  his  wealth,  and  always  dressed  in 
plain  black. 

He  was  anxious  above  all  things  to  be  considered  a 
good  fellow  ;  be  did  not  care  about  being  thought  a 
great  man,  and  be  did  not  wish  people  to  bumble  them- 
selves before  him.  It  was  this  feeling  which  made  bim 
so  popular  on  tbe  road  among  horsemen,  who  consiiiered 


SUMMARY    OF   CAREER.  129 

themselves  quite  as  good  as  lie  was,  and  talked  with  liim 
on  terms  of  perfect  equality.  This  was,  indeed,  his 
safety  valve,  as  there  at  least  he  was  able  to  obtain  the 
expression  of  unprejudiced  opinion. 

The  father  and  son,  at  last  united  in  interest  and 
sympathy,  now  controlled  the  great  northern  trunk  line 
to  Chicago.  They  had  laid  four  tracks  on  the  Central, 
two  exclusively  for  passengers  and  two  for  freight,  giv- 
ing the  line  indefinitely  expansive  powers.  The  freight 
trains  could  be  run  continuously,  like  an  endless  chain, 
and  carry  grain  enough  to  load  two  hundred  vessels  a 
day,  while  the  safety  of  passenger  transfer  was  brought 
to  a  maximum. 

Commodore  Vanderbiit,  now  eighty-one  years  old, 
looked  back  at  his  achievements  with  complacent  satis- 
faction. "I  have  made  a  million  dollars  every  year  of 
my  life,"  he  said  one  dav,  "  and  tlie  best  of  it  is  that  it 
has  been  worth  three  times  that  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States."  It  was  true.  If  he  had  put  liis  money 
at  interest  when  he  was  seventy,  and  sluggishly  con- 
tented himself  with  the  income,  he  would  have  bene- 
fited the  counti-y  but  little.  Instead  of  that,  he  aroused 
to  a  new  vouth,  began  to  search  for  something  that 
needed  rebuilding  and  renovating,  laid  his  hand  on  the 
badly-managed  railroads  of  his  native  State,  prostrated 
by  war  and  crippled  by  speculators,  put  together  the  iso- 
lated fragments,  reconstructed' and  equipped  them  anew, 
rescued  them  from  poverty  and  contempt,  reduced  their 
passenger  and  freight  rates,  and  devised  and  executed 
improvements  that  placed  his  system  at  the  head  of 
the  locomotive  traffic  of  the  planet,  lie  had  one  contin- 
uous road  nine  hundred  and  seventv-cio-ht  miles  in  leno;th. 


130  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

with  side  lines  greatly  increasing  tins  total,  represent- 
ing an  aggregate  capital  of  $150,000,000,  of  which  he 
owned  one-half.  Old  age  was  on  him  and  death  con- 
fronted him,  but  he  did  not  ]-est.  He  went  on  develop- 
ing, strengthening,  maturing,  finishing,  to  the  last. 

He  was,  in  his  eighty-fiist  year,  a  superb  specimen 
of  physical  and  intellectual  manhood.  Whei-ever  he 
moved  he  attracted  as  much  attention  as  the  President 
or  General  Grant.  Tall  in  stature,  stately  in  beaiing, 
his  eye  as  bright  as  ever,  his  step  still  fi-ee,  a  slight  con- 
sciousness of  his  extraordinary  career  expressed  in  his  de- 
meanor, Mith  thirty-three  grandchildren  around  his  feet, 
and  increasing  tenderness  taking  possession  of  his  heart 
and  warming  his  face  and  his  words,  he  held  the  fore- 
most place,  like  some  patrician  patriarch,  among  the 
seniors  of  the  commercial  world. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   COMMODORE'S  CHARITIES. 

• 
His  Opinion  of  Beggars — Tlie  Way  He  Gave — Careful  About  Money 
— Meets  Dr.   Deems — Gives  the  Church  of  the  Strangers — The 
Tennessee  University. 

Commodore  Vandeebilt  was  not  natnrally  a  philan- 
thropist. The  school  of  advei-sity  in  which  he  was 
trained — penniless  boy,  hoatnian,  skipper,  steamboat 
captain,  sliip-owner— was  not  calcnlated  to  turn  his  sym- 
pathies toward  the.  weak  and  destitute.  A  too  fierce 
fii>-ht  with  jS'atnre  almost  alwavs  tends  to  harden  the 
lieart  rather  than  to  soften  it.  It  was  strong  men  whom 
he  liked  and  sympathized  with,  not  weak  ones  ;  the  self- 
reliant,  not  the  helpless,  lie  had  always  worked  hard 
and  saved  ever}'  penny  that  he  conld,  both  as  boy  and 
man;  "Let  others  do  as  I  have  done,"  he  said,  "and 
they  need  not  be  around  here  begging."  He  felt  that 
the  solicitor  of  charity  was  always  a  lazy  or  di'unken 
person  tr^-ing  to  live  hy  plundering  the  sober  and  in- 
dustrious. 

The  conclusion  was  not  quite  aecui'ate,  but  the  intui- 
tion was  right.  There  were  important  exceptions  to  his 
rule,  but  he  had  not  time  to  hunt  them  up  and  provide 
for  them.  It  was  not  understood  then,  as  it  clearly  is 
now,  that  the  promiscuous  alms-giver  on  the  city  streets 


J  32  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

does  far  more  evil  than  good  ;  that  hap-hazard  charity 
creates  more  paupers  than  it  relieves  ;  *  and  that  it  is 
the  duty  of  every  citizen  to  refnse  to  yield  to  that 
wounded  emotion,  heavenly  in  its  origin  but  pernicious 
in  its  action,  that  inclines  him  to  drop  a  nickel  into  the 
extended  palm  as  the  easiest  way  of  getting  rid  of  a 
suppliant  and  gratifying  liis  own  untutored  moral  sense. 
Darwin's  felicitous  phrase,  "  the  survival  of  the  fittest," 
"though  invented  had  not  yet  been  popularized,  but  the 
Commodore  instinctively  felt  that  the  average  result  of 
charity  was  to  promote  the  survival  of  the  uniittest,  and 
that  about  the  only  way  to  do  any  permanent  good  was 
by  teaching  the  indolent  to  be  industrious,  the  unskillful 
to  be  expert,  the  extravagant  to  be  economical,  the  slug- 
gish to  be  ambitious — in  short,  by  teaching  the  weak  to 
help  themselves. 

He  always  had  an  eye  to  this  sort  of  person  among 
his  old  acquaintances,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  give  gen- 
erously where  the  gift  would  stimulate  the  recipient  to 
self-reliance.  The  people  of  Staten  Island  know  of 
scores  of  instances  in  which  he  quietly  attempted  thus 
to  lend  a  needed  hand.  His  most  persistent  applicants 
for  money  were  clergymen,  and  for  them  he  felt  an 
aversion  not  unmixed  with  contempt.     As  a  rule  he  dis- 

*  Gerrit  Smith  gave  so  liberally  and  unreservingly  that  hundreds 
lost  their  self-respect  througli  his  largess,  and  some  of  his  neighbors 
were  turned  into  beggars.  Herbert  Spencer  tells  of  a  great  bequest 
to  an  English  village,  which  so  demoralized  the  people  that  Parlia- 
ment had  to  intercede  and  cancel  the  gift.  It  is  notorious  that  as  the 
poor-rates  in  England  increase  pauperism  increases  ;  and  that  in 
those  cities  where  all  the  able-bodied  jioor  are  compelled  to  work  for 
the  public  the  number  of  those  who  solicit  alms  is  reduced  tliree- 
quarters. 


HIS   IDEAS    OF   CHARITY.  133 

missed  tliem  abruptly,  sometimes  rudely,  and  once, 
when  he  had  been  annoyed  persistently  by  a  need\'  par- 
son, he  presented  hin*  with  a  free  ticket  to  the  AVest 
Indies  and  never  heard  of  him  again. 

One  rule  the  Commodore  had  that  was  inflexible. 
He  never  put  his  name  to  a  subscription  paper  for  any 
purpose  whatever.  One  day  E.  H.  Caridick,  his  old 
partner  in  Nicaragua  schemes,  met  him  on  Broadway. 
They  talked  about  affairs  in  Washington  for  a  moment, 
then  Carmick  said,  "Commodore,  I  have  something  here 
that  you'll  be  interested  in,''  pulling  out  a  suT^scription 
paper.  "  I  want  to  build  an  asylum  on  Staten  Island 
for  broken-down  merchants,  where  they  can  always  have 
a  warm  home  and  plenty  to  eat.  Roberts  is  going  to 
give  $10,000.  Aspinwall  and  Astor  are  in  it.  We 
want  3'ou  to  give  a  lot  down  on  your  old  place." 

The  Commodore  heard  him  through,  and  then  said, 
"No,  Carmick  ;  you  ought  to  be  about  better  business  ! 
Don't  you  know  that  about  half  the  people's  '  broken 
down  '  one  way  or  another,  and  that  if  you  was  to  roof 
Staten  Island  right  over,  it  would  be  filled  up  before  you 
could  turn  around  ?  " 

One  reason  why  he  gave  no  more  in  such  i-easonable 
ways  as  that  above  mentioned  is  that  the  acquisitive 
liabit  of  a  life  was  so  strong  on  him.  Pie  did  not  see 
that  it  was  safe  to  let  his  expenditures  keep  step  with  his 
increasing  wealth.  "  Something  may  happen,"  he  kept 
saying;  and,  in  fact,  something  in  the  shape  of  financial 
disaster  came  very  near  happening  two  or  three  times 
in  his  life  and  shipwrecking  him.  So  he  kept  saving, 
and  denying  himself  what  his  money  would  buy ;  con- 
stantly cheating  himself  for  the  sake  of  others.     Only  a 


134  THE   VANDEKBILTS. 

few  years  before  his  death  he  had  some  internal  trouble 
for  which  the  doctor  recommended  champagne.  "  Cham- 
pagne!" exclaimed  the  liftj-millionaire  ;  ''champagne! 
I  can't  afford  champagne  !  A  bottle  every  morning ! 
Oh,  I  guess  sody  water'll  do  !  " 

Advancing  years,  inclining  him  to  stay  at  home  more 
and  more,  atld  the  presence  of  a  helpful  and  intelligent 
companion  in  his  second  wife,  effected  something  of  a 
change  in  his  character.  One  day  he  said,  "  Frank, 
where  is  that  Doctor  Deems  I've  heai'd  you  talk  about  ? 
— the  one  that  you  wanted  to  have  marry  us? " 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  since  we  came  back  to  town," 
she  answered  ;  "  he  used  to  preach  to  strangei-s  around 
in  the  University  Building." 

"  I  should  think  he  might  call  on  us,"  said  the  Com- 
modore. 

Somebody  told  the  Doctor.  "  I  have  never  run  after 
rich  people,"  he  said.  "  I  have  not  avoided  them,  but 
when  a  man,  conspicuous  for  wealth  or  position,  desires 
to  know  me,  he  must  seek  me.  If  I  am  expected  I  Mill 
call." 

He  was  cordially  received,  contrary'  to  the  experience 
of  most  clergymen.  They  talked  freely  and  frankly. 
The  Commodore  turned  the  talk  upon  the  Doctor's 
work  and  hopes.  They  met  often  after  that.  One  even- 
inorthe  convei'sation  turned  on  clerical  bci^ai'S,  the  host's 

O  OCT'  ' 

pet  aversion.  The  Doctor  depi-ecated  the  whole  business. 
"Now  liei'e  I  am,"  he  said.  "  I  have  been  preaching 
for  two  years  within  ear-shot  of  the  Commodore.  My 
little  rooms  have  been  ovei'run.  People  have  said  to 
me,  '  Why  don't  you  see  Mi-.  Lenox,  or  Mr.  Stewart,  or 
Mr.  Astor,  or  Commodore  Yanderbilt,  and  get  some  of 


DK.    DEEMS.  135 

them  to  bnild  you  a  Church  of  the  Strangers?'  ^STot  I. 
The  Coinniodore  will  bear  me  witness  that  1  have  never 
solicited  a  dollar  from  him  for  any  object  on  earth." 

"  Xo,  he  never  has,  Fraidc,"  he  said,  turning  to  his 
wife ;  evidently  thinking  the  better  of  his  visitor  for  the 
abstinence. 

"  And  1  never  shall,  as  long  as  there  is  breath  in  my 
body,"  said  the  visitor. 

The  Commodore  obviously  did  not  quite  like  the  re- 
mark, but  the  Doctor  went  on,  "  For  if  he  has  lived  to  at- 
tain his  present  age  and  has  not  got  sense  enough  to  see 
what  I  need  and  grace  enough  to  send  it,  he  will  die 
without  the  sight."  The  speaker's  impressions  of  the 
Commodore  were  not  favorable.  He  regarded  him  as 
an  unscrupulous  hoarder  of  money,  who  merely  aimed  at 
accumulating  an  immense  fortune,  but  had  little  concern 
for  the  human  race. 

Dr.  Deems  was  at  this  time  thinking  of  purchasing 
the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian  Church  edifice,  hoping 
to  pay  for  it  somehow,  and  a  report  of  this  had  got 
to  the  Commodore's  ears.  One  Monday  evening,  at  the 
close  of  a  call,  he  asked  his  visitor  to  come  around  soon. 
The  reply  was  that  every  evening  for  a  week  was  occu- 
pied, but  the  next  Saturday  evening  he  went. 

The  Commodore  offered  to  buy  the  Mercer  Street 
Church  for  him.  The  Doctor  says  that  he  "fired  up  in 
a  minute,"  because  he  supposed  the  donor  had  some  sin- 
ister motive,  either  wanting  a  chaplain  he  could  use,  or 
desiring  to  get  hold  of  the  building  for  business  pur- 
poses.    His  benefactor  reassured  him. 

"  After  the  discharge  of  the  lightning  of  my  anger," 
says  the  Doctor,  "I  felt  that  a  sort  of  April  shower 


136  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

was  coming.  Mj  ejos  were  moistening.  It  seemed  a 
wonderfnl  Providence,  for  you  know  we  always  think  it 
is  a  wonderfnl  Providence  if  it  runs  with  our  ideas.  I 
extended  my  hand  and  said,  '  Commodore,  if  you  give  me 
that  church  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Pll  most  thank- 
fully accept  it.' 

"  '  Ko,'  said  he  ;  '  Doctor,  I  wouldn't  give  it  to  you 
that  way,  because  that  would  be  professing  to  you  a  re- 
ligious sentiment  I  don't  feel.  I  want  to  give  you  a 
church.  That's  all  about  it.  It  is  one  friend  doins: 
something  for  another  friend.  Now,  if  you  take  it  that 
way,  I'll  give  it  to  you.' 

"  We  both  rose  at  the  same  moment,  and  I  took  his 
hand  and  said,  '  Commodore,  in  whatever  spirit  you  give 
it,  I  gi'atefully  accept  it,  but  I  shall  receive  it  in  the 
name  of  the  Loixl  Jesus  Christ.' 

"  '  O,  well,'  he  said,  'let's  go  in  the  sitting-room  and 
see  the  women ! ' " 

It  was  some  time  before  the  property  could  be  got ; 
and  one  day  the  Commodore's  clerk,  Mr.  AVardell,  called 
and  said,  "  Doctoi-,  here  is  a  package  containing  $50,000 
in  money  from  Commodore  Yanderbilt."  The  follow- 
ing conversation  took  place : 

Pauson.  "  Don't  you  know  what  this  is  for  ?  " 

Clekk.  "  No,  sir  ;  1  don't." 

Parson.   "  Didn't  the  Commodore  tell  you  ? " 

Clerk.  "  No,  sir." 

Parson.  "  Shall  I  give  you  a  receipt  ?  " 

Clerk.  "No,  sir." 

Parson.  "  Why  don't  you  take  a  receipt  ?  " 

Clerk.  "  The  Commodore  didn't  ask  for  any." 

The  Doctor  wanted  the  church  given  to  trustees,  but 


GEORGE    W.   VANDERBILT. 


GIVING   HOSTAGES   TO   LEARNING.  137 

tlie  Commodore  refused,  saying,  "  No,  you  hammer  away 
at  some  of  them  fellows  about  their  sins  and  they'll  turn 
around  and  bedevil  you  so  that  you  will  have  to  quit. 
I'm  going  to  give  it  to  you  yourself." 

''  And  from  that  day  forth,"  testifies  the  Doctor,  "he 
always  treated  me  as  one  gentleman  treats  another  who 
has  done  him  a  very  great  favor." 

After  the  <rift  of  the  Church  of  the  Strangers  the  in- 
timacj  between  the  Commodore  and  the  Kev,  Dr. 
Deems  grew.  There  is  a  manuscript  memorandum  in 
M'hich  the  Commodore's  wife  kept  record  of  his  sayings 
in  his  last  days,  in  which  he  expressed  his  confidence  in 
and  love  for  this  clergyman,  and  his  delight  that  his  life 
had  been  spared  to  see  the  University  started,  and  his 
hope  that  he  should  live  to  see  a  wise  way  to  do  more. 
The  story  of  how  the  University  came  to  exist  is  as 
follows  : 

Commodore  Yanderbilt  and  Dr.  Deems  were  chatting- 
together  one  evening  at  the  residence  of  the  former  in 
Washiugton  Place,  when  the  conversation  turned  upon 
education.  "I'd  give  a  million  dollars  to-day.  Doctor," 
exclaiuied  the  Commodore,  "  if  I  had  j^our  education  !  " 

"Is  that  your  honest  sentiment.  Commodore?" 
gravel}'  asked  the  doctor, 

"It  is,"  was  the  reply.  "  Folks  may  say  that  I  don't 
care  about  education,  but  it  ain't  true  ;  I  do.  I've  been 
among  educated  people  enough  to  see  its  importance. 
I've  been  to  England,  and  seen  them  lords,  and  other 
fellows,  and  knew  that  I  had  twice  as  much  brains  as 
they  had  maybe,  and  yet  I  had  to  keep  still,  and 
couldn't  say  anything  through  fear  of  exposing  myself." 

During  this  last  remark,  Horace  F.  Clark,  son-in-law 


138  THE   VAT^DERBILTS. 

to  the  Commodore,  slipped  into  the  room  unobserved 
by  the  latter,  who  happened  to  be  sitting  with  his  back 
to  the  door. 

"  Well !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  you 
admit  at  last.  Commodore,  that  there  is  some  benefit  in 
an  education.  You've  always  spoken  to  me  as  if  you 
thought  it  nothing." 

The  Commodore  turned  toward  him,  and,  assuming  a 
stern  look,  replied.  "  I  seem  to  get  along  better  than 
half  of  your  educated  men." 

"  JS^evertlieless,  you  have  made  the  admission  at  last," 
continued  Mr.  Clark.  "Dr.  Deems  has  drawn  it  out  of 
you  for  the  first  time,  and  I  am  a  witness  to  it." 

With  this  Mr.  Clark  prudently  withdrew. 

"  If  these  are  really  your  sentiments,"  Dr.  Deems 
went  on,  "  then  yon  must  let  me  tell  you  that  you  ai'e 
one  of  the  greatest  hindrances  to  education  that  I  know 
of." 

"  Why,  how  so  ? "  asked  the  Commodoi'e  with  surprise. 

"  Why,  don't  you  see,  if  yon  do  nothing  to  promote 
education,  to  prove  to  the  woi-ld  that  you  believe  in  it, 
there  isn't  a  boy  in  all  the  land  who  ever  heard  of  you, 
but  may  say,  'W^hat's  the  use  of  an  education  ?  There's 
Commodore  Yanderbilt ;  he  never  had  any,  and  never 
wanted  any,  and  yet  he  became  the  richest  man  in 
America.'  " 

"Will  they  say  that  ? "  asked  the  Commodore  with 
evident  feeling  ;  and  then  he  added,  "  But  it  isn't  true. 
I  do  care  for  education,  and  always  have.  But  what 
shall  1  do  ?  " 

"  Show  to  the  world  your  true  sentiments,"  replied 
the  Doctor. 


THE   VANDERBILT   UNIVERSITY.  139 

"  IIow  ?  "  was  the  response. 

"  Well,"  replied  Dr.  Deems,  "  liere  you  ai'e  proposing 
to  build  a  nionunient  to  Washington  to  cost  a  million  of 
dollars.  Such  a  monument  will  not  add  one  iota  to 
Washington's  fame.  A  monument  on  every  street- 
corner  in  America  would  not  do  it.  Suppose  you  take 
that  money  and  found  a  univ^ersity." 

"  A  university  !  "  exclaimed  the  Commodore. 

"  Yes,  why  not  ?  The  Vanderbilt  University,  per- 
haps." This  was  the  first  time  the  name  of  the  new 
university  was  ever  spoken.  The  idea  was  new  and  valu- 
able— worth  considering.  After  further  conversations 
on  the  subject  the  Commodoi-e  abandoned  the  plan  of 
a  magnificent  monument  to  Washington,  and  finally  re- 
quested Dr.  Deems  to  canvass  the  question  of  founding  a 
Moravian  University.  Naturally  his  heart  turned  toward 
the  persecuted  Church  of  his  ancestors,  and  liis  first 
thought  was  to  form  a  great  college  for  its  benefit.  Di-. 
Deems  took  up  the  task  and  thoughtfully  went  over  the 
whole  field  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  America.  The 
result  was  communicated  to  Commodore  Yanderbilt, 
who  found  no  one  in  that  body  to  whom  be  could  en- 
trust so  great  a  work.  But  he  did  not  altogether  give 
up  the  idea  of  founding  a  universit^^  The  subject  still 
continued  to  be  occasionally  discussed,  and  gradually 
the  harvest  grew  I'ipe  for  the  reaper. 

Many  years  before  the  incidents  nan-ated  above,  when 
Dr.  Deems  was  a  clergyman  in  the  South,  he  had  an  in- 
timate friend.  Rev.  Dr.  McTyeire,  editor  of  a  New  Or- 
leans paper.  Since  Dr.  Deems  had  come  to  Xew  York 
Dr.  McTyeii-e  had  been  made  a  Bishop  of  the  Southern 
Methodist  Church.    In  early  life  in  Mobile  he  had  been 


140  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

pastor  of  Miss  Frank  Crawford — Mrs.  Commodore  Van- 
derbilt — and  liad  married  a  distant  relative  of  hers. 
Mrs.  Yanderbilt  liad  very  great  affection  for  this  friend 
of  Dr.  Deems  and  knew  that  Deems  had  the  greatest 
confidence  in  McTyeire's  ability  and  integrity.  Tlie 
Bishop  was  concerned  in  founding  a  university  in  the 
South.  It  occurred  to  Dr.  Deems  that  he  was  the  man 
the  Commodore  needed,  and  that  it  would  help  to  allay 
the  animosities  between  the  Xortli  and  the  South  en- 
gendered by  the  Civil  "War,  if  the  Commodore  would 
put  his  college  in  that  section.  Tliese  ideas  were 
warmly  sliared  by  Mrs.  Vanderbilt.  How  to  bring  the 
men  together  was  the  question.  In  the  Spring  of  1870, 
Di-.  Deems  had  tried  to  secure  an  invitation  for  the 
Bishop  from  the  Commodore,  and  was  aided  by  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt,  but  it  failed.  As  the  intimacy  grew  between 
the  Commodore  and  the  pastor  the  time  was  finally  ripe, 
and  the  invitation  secured.  The  impression  made  on 
the  Commodore  by  the  Bishop  was  such  as  Mrs.  Yan- 
derbilt and  Dr.  Deems  had  anticipated.  This  was  in 
March,  1873.  The  Bishop  one  day  hurried  over  to  the 
Doctor's  study  radiant  with  the  news  that  the  Commo- 
dore had  offered  $500,000  to  a  university  to  be  founded 
at  Nashville. 

He  returned  home  rejoicing  and  commenced  the 
M'ork,  and  prosecuted  it  vigoi'ously.  Subsequently  the 
Commodore  gave  $100,000  moi-e.  Then  some  influence 
had  been  bi'ought  to  bear  on  him  to  make  him  feel  that 
the  institution  would  probably  be  sectarian.  The  Doc- 
tor showed  him  how  much  better  it  was  that  a  college 
should  be  under  the  care  of  some  (church  with  a  great 
denomination  to  back  it,  and  brought  him  to  that  view, 


SATISFACTIOiV.  141 

and  sliOM'ed  him  that  a  college  with  the  name  of  Yan- 
dej'bilt  would  be  a  shabby  thing  without  at  least  a  million 
of  dollars  in  buildings  and  endowment.  After  further 
thought  the  Connnodore  agreed  to  give  the  other 
S400,000,  which  he  arranged  before  his  death.  He  never 
regretted  it.  One  of  the  last  expressions  of  his  life  was 
his  telling  his  wife  how  glad  he  was  that  he  liad  done 
it,  and  how  satisfied  he  was  that  he  had  put  it  in  the 
hands  of  men  he  so  entirely  trusted. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

DEATH  OF  THE  COMMODORE. 

Taken  111  at  Eiglity-two — Great  Public  Interest — The  Vigilant  News- 
papers —  Reporters  Besiege  the  Invalid  —  Death  After  Eight 
Months— A  Simple  Funeral— The  Will. 

The  three  ricliest  men  in  America  at  this  time  were 
Commodore  Yanderbilt ;  A.  T.  Stewart,  who  was  nine 
years  his  junior,  and  William  B.  Astor,  who  was  two 
months  his  senior.  Mr.  Astor  died  in  November,  1875, 
and  Mr.  Stewart  in  A})ril,  1876,  and  less  than  a 
month  thereaftei",  on  May  10th,  the  third  and  most  con- 
spicuous in  this  triumvirate  of  wealth  was  taken  ill  and 
confined  to  his  room. 

Great  was  the  excitement.  Newspapers  published 
extras  with  such  bits  of  fact  or  rumoi-  as  they  could 
gather.  Reporters  hiy  in  wait  for  the  doctor  and  am- 
bushed the  minister,  and  newsboys  yelled  under  the 
windows  of  No.  10  Washington  Place,  •'  Commodoi'e 
Vanderbilt  dying !  " 

The  venerable  patient  felt  exasperated  that  such  lib- 
erties should  bo  taken  with  him,  and,  when  a  reporter 
called  next  morning,  he  crawled  out  of  bed  and  shouted 
down  the  stairs,  "I  am  not  dying!  The  slight  local 
disorder  is  now  almost  entirely  gone  and  the  doctor  says 
I  will  be  well  in   a  few  days.     Even  if  1  was  dying  I 


THE   KEPORTEIIS'    VIGIL.  143 

should  have  vigor  enough  to  knock  this  abuse  down 
your  lying  throats  and  give  the  undertaker  a  job !  " 

The  protest  did  no  good.  The  papers  had  columns 
daily  about  his  various  ailments,  about  how  much  he 
was  worth,  and  how  long  he  would  live,  and  what  effect 
his  death  would  have  on  the  stock  market,  and  who  would 
get  his  money.  Every  week  some  paper  announced  that 
lie  was  dead.  All  summer  he  lay  in  the  sweltering  heat, 
and  lived  on.  His  iron  constitution  was  doing  battle 
for  him  against  a  conspiracy  of  a  dozen  diseases. 

On  August  3d  he  experienced  a  relapse  so  i-adical 
and  severe  that  even  his  physicians  concluded  that  his 
last  hours  had  come.  At  midnight  his  life  Avas  de- 
spaired of,  his  pulses  fluttered  feebly,  his  feet  grew  cold, 
his  heart  intermitted  its  beats,  and  the  family,  brother 
and  sisters,  children  and  grandchildren,  gathered  around 
the  bed  to  bid  him  a  long  farcM'ell.  Then  he  turned  over 
toward  the  wall  and  went  to  sleep.  The  next  morning's 
papei's  recorded  his  death,  but  he  rallied  and  got  up. 

That  brigade  of  enterprising  and  courteous  gentlemen, 
the  New  York  reporters,  had  a  very  lively  time  of  it 
during  the  Centennial  summer.  Every  daily  had  to 
liave  a  relay,  that  one  might  be  perpetually  on  guard 
at  the  house. 

As  wet  autumnal  days  came  on,  presaging  the  cold  of 
winter,  the  score  of  reporters  who  had  swarmed  around 
the  front  steps,  found  the  position  more  and  more  un- 
comfortable. They  made  better  arrangements  by  hir- 
ing a  large  front-room  across  the  street,  and  thus  put 
the  distinguished  invalid  in  a  state  of  siege.  One  of 
thenj  has  told  the  curious  story  of  that  unique  vigil : 
how  they  whiled  away  the  weary  hours  with  chess  and 


144  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

cards  and  books;  how  they  tried  to  establish  some  regu- 
larity of  beer  and  lunches;  how  they  effected  an  organi- 
zation to  save  unnecessary  expenditure  of  effovt,  appoint- 
ing a  guard  to  constantlj^  watch  the  door  aci'oss  the  way 
through  the  slats  of  the  closed  blinds  ;  how  they  had  a 
picket  and  a  patrol  outside,  waylaying  everybody  that 
emerged  from  the  house ;  and  how  impatient  they  be- 
came for  a  change  of  some  sort — any  sort — in  the  pa- 
tient's condition. 

There  was  another  relapse  and  another,  and  a  council 
of  physicians  was  called.  Again  he  rallied,  and  passed 
the  "  golden  cycle "  of  Christmas  holidays  safely,  and 
emei-ged  upon  the  Xew  Year.  On  the  aftei-noon  of 
January  3d  he  was  placed  in  his  rolling-chair  and 
wheeled  to  the  sitting-room,  seeming  to  enjoy  the  ti-ip. 
The  sick-chamber  was  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
second  floor,  and  there  he  had  been  for  eight  months. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  a  change  for 
the  woi'se  took  place,  and  the  members  of  the  family 
were  summoned.  William  II.  Vanderbilt  arrived  at  live 
o'clock,  and  shortly  there  were  gathered  about  the  bed 
of  the  dying  man  his  children,  grandchildren,  and  great- 
grandchildren. Four  able  physicians  were  in  attendance, 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Deems  came  at  nine  o'clock.  The  (.^om- 
raodoi-e  comprehended  the  fact  that  his  last  day  had 
come,  and  spoke  to  all  his  descendants,  calmly  bidding 
them  good-by. 

Singing  was  suggested,  and  he  immediately  assenting, 
Mrs.  Crawford  led  in  his  favorite  hymns,  "  Come  ye 
Sinners,  Poor  and  Needy,"  "  T^earer,  my  God,  to  Thee," 
and  "  Show  pity.  Lord."  II  is  face  brightened  up  and 
he  feebly  joined  in  the  singing.     Just  before  ten  o'clock 


DEATH   AFTER   EIGHT   MONTHS.  145 

lie  asked  Dr.  Deems  to  pray  Mith  him  ;  lie  seemed  to 
follow  the  prayer,  and  at  the  end  ti-ied  to  repeat  the  bene- 
diction. He  said,  "  That's  a  good  prayer,''  and  grasped 
the  Doctor's  hand,  adding,  "  I  shall  never  give  np  trust 
in  Jesus  :  how  could  I  let  that  go  ? " 

At  10.30  A.M.  he  ceased  attempting  to  speak  ;  he  lifted 
his  right  hand  and  closed  his  own  eyelids,  became  for  a 
few  moments  unconscious,  or  at  any  rate  unresponsive, 
drew  one  deep  breath  and  died.  He  expired  peacefully 
and  apparently  without  pain.  Exhausted  nature  slept 
the  long  sleep. 

Among  those  present  were  his  wife,  and  her  mother, 
Mrs.  Crawford  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Yanderbilt  and 
their  children  ;  Mrs.  Daniel  Torrance  and  husband  and 
daughter  ;  Mrs.  J.  B.  Allen  ;  Mrs.  George  A.  Osgood  and 
husband  ;  Mrs.  JST.  B.  La  Ban  ;  IVIrs.  James  M.  Cross  and 
husband  ;  Mrs.  William  Iv.  Thorn  and  husband  ;  Mrs. 
Meredith  Howland  and  husband  ;  Mr.  C.  X.  De  Forest ; 
Mrs.  S.  D.  Barton ;  Mr.  E.  D.  Worcester,  Secretai-y  of 
the  Central  Road,  and  Elliott  F.  Shephard. 

The  Commodore's  brother.  Captain  Jacob  Yanderbilt, 
and  his  sister.  Miss  Phebe  Yanderbilt,  were  not  pres- 
ent, being  with  another  sister,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Egbert, 
who  was  lying  at  the  point  of  death  at  her  home  in 
Tompkinsville,  S.  I." 

The  Commodore  had  exhibited  tremendous  vital  force, 
and  two  of  his  physicians  had  died  during  their  attend- 
ance upon  him. 

The  funeral  was  held  at  10.30  a.m.  the  next  Sunday, 

*  This  was  his  oldest  sister,  after  whom  his  first  sloop  was  named, 
then  the  wife  of  Captain  De  Forest.  She  died  the  day  after  the 
Commodore. 

7 


146  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

in  the  Clinrch  of  the  Strangers.  In  accordance  with  liis 
express  request  and  direction  it  was  extremely  simple, 
and  characterized  by  a  lack  of  display  and  parade,  lie 
had  often  condemned  the  fashionable  folly  which  op- 
pressed the  poor  with  expensive  funerals,  and  had  al- 
leged that  the  rich  were  responsible  for  it.  lie  would 
not  have  his  funeral  stir  np  such  pernicious  ennilation 
and  rob  the  poor  of  their  hard  earnings.  So  he  had  said, 
"  ]S^o  flowers  at  my  funeral ;  not  one  !  N^o  costly  badges 
of  mourning  ;  no  crape  for  showing  off !  "  The  injunc- 
tion was  obeyed. 

By  his  express  command  the  Grand  Central  Depot 
was  not  draped  in  mourning,  nor  were  there  any  sable 
trappings  or  somber  festoonery  on  cars  or  locomotives. 

Among  those  who  attended  the  funeral  were  Daniel 
Drew,  Thurlow  Weed,  Samuel  Ward,  Gordon  W.  Burn- 
ham,  Marshall  O.  Boberts,  ex-Governor  Morgan,  Beter 
Cooper,  Charles  O'Conor,  and  Frank  Leslie,  all  since 
dead,  though  it  was  only  nine  years  ago. 

Dr.  Deems  said  at  the  funeral  that  the  deceased  lacked 
only  two  things  :  early  scholastic  culture  and  intimate  re- 
ligious relations  during  the  middle  and  main  part  of  his 
life.  The  last  he  regretted,  but  Nature,  by  giving  him 
a  M''onderful  intellect,  compensated  for  the  first  in  part. 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  the  vault  of  the  old 
Moravian  cemetery  wdiich  his  ancestors  of  the  "United 
Brethren  "  had  helped  lay  out  at  New  Dorp,  and  in 
which  most  of  their  bodies  lay.  lie  himself  had  given 
fifty  acres  of  land  to  the  cemetery. 

Commodore  Yanderbilt  had  never  connected  himself 
with  a  church,  and  was,  in  his  convei'saticm,  an  invlig- 
ious  man  ;  but  he   had   never   thought  about  dogmatic 


AN    ENORMOUS    BEQUEST.  147 

theology  mncli,  aiul  li;ul  never  ceased  to  l)clievc  M'liut 
liis  pious  mother  had  taught  when  lie  was  a  child.  The 
doctrine  of  a  supreme  being,  a  devil,  a  heaven,  a  hell, 
an  atonement,  he  regarded  as  settled  facts,  as  undenia- 
.ble  as  the  multiplication-table.  Whenever  lie  spoke  of 
Jesus  Christ  serious!}'  and  deliberately  he  always  alluded 
to  him  as  "  Our  Saviour,"  and  lie  reverently  called  the 
Lible  "  the  Holy  Scriptures." 

He  had  as  great  a  horror  of  being  thought  an  infidel 
as  Daniel  Drew  had,  and  often  declared  that  lie 
"  wouldn't  trust  with  a  dollar  "  a  man  who  doubted  the 
inspiration  of  the  Bible.  During  his  last  illness,  as  he 
lay  on  the  lounge  and  Doctor  Deems  was  fanning  him 
one  day,  he  said,  "  I  don't  want  any  misunderstanding 
about  this  business.  You  haven't  converted  me.  I 
didn't  need  converting.  I  always  believed  in  the  truth 
of  these  things  you  preach  about.  You  haven't  had  any 
more  effect  on  my  belief  than  that  fan  has  !  " 

The  public  had  not  doubted  what  would  be  tb.e  gen- 
eral character  of  the  will.  William  H.  Yanderbilt,  be- 
ing the  oldest  son  and  the  only  one  fitted  by  habits  and 
training  to  take  care  of  it,  would  undoubtedly  inhei'it 
the  bulk  of  the  property.  In  this  all  were  agreed. 
AVlien  the  will  was  produced  in  the  Surrogate's  Court, 
four  days  afterward,  it  was  found  that  the  general  con- 
jecture was  correct.  ]S«^ot  far  from  $90,000,000  was  left 
to  William  H.  Of  the  bequests  to  all  other  persons, 
amounting  to  $15,000,000,  one-half  went  to  the  four 
sons  of  the  principal  heir,  and  the  oldest  son,  Cornelius, 
whose  progress  the  decedent  had  watched  and  approved, 
got  much  the  largest  share.* 

*  See  Appendix  D. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE   COMMODORE'S   SUCCESSOR. 

Industrious  and  Prudent — Compromises  witli  Foes — Dealing  with. 
Laborers — Contest  of  the  Will — The  Quarrel  Ended — Generosity 
and  Human  Nature— Accurate  Business  Habits. 

William  II.  Vandeebilt,  now  fifty-six  years  old,  was 
thorouglil}'  equipped  for  ]iis  new  role.  It  involved  no 
radical  change  in  his  methods  or  his  life.  He  imme- 
diately took  charge  of  the  property,  and  became  presi- 
dent of  all  the  roads,  where  he  had  before  been  vice- 
president,  but  his  relation  to  affairs  was  not  materially 
modified.  His  service  had  never  been  perfunctory.  It 
had  been  an  honest  devotion  to  the  intei'ests  of  his 
father's  property.  The  only  difference  seen  in  1877  was 
that  his  great  vigilance  and  energy  in  administration 
were  increased  ;  he  merely  worked  harder  where  he  had 
always  before  worked  hard.  He  felt  the  weight  of  the 
additional  responsibility^  and  he  resolved  that  his  father's 
apprehension  that  he  would  lose  the  property  should  not 
be  realized.  What  he  lacked  of  his  fathers  genius  and 
brilliant  audacity  he  would  make  up  in  greater  industry 
and  cautiousness. 

The  first  year  was  si<!;nalized  bv  the  viirorous  warfare 
in  west-bound  freight-rates  between  the  trunk  lines. 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  favored  compromise.      This  was  proba- 


SACRIFICES   FOK   PEACE.  149 

blj  the  wisest  tiling  to  do,  but  it  showed  that  he  did  not 
possess  the  strenuous  temper  of  his  father.  The  Coniino- 
dore's  enei-gies  would  have  been  bent,  not  to  making 
compacts  with  rival  systems,  but  to  making  conquests  of 
them.  lie  recognized  no  equals,  lie  would  have  so 
extended  his  own  system  as  to  nuike  all  others  confess- 
edly snboi'dinate,  reducing  them  to  the  rank  of  local 
roads.  Or,  if  this  were  found  impracticable,  on  account 
of  some  other  possessing  better  natural  facilities  for  the 
chief  highway  across  the  continent,  he  would  liave  boldly 
abandoned  his  own  lines  and  transferred  his  capital  and 
liis  abilities  to  another  as  readily  as  he  deserted  sails  for 
steam,  or  ships  for  locomotives.  He  was  far-sighted 
and  had  a  broad  horizon,  lie  knew  no  rest  and  wanted 
none. 

Kor  did  the  son  care  for  rest,  but  he  wanted  peace. 
He  was  not  pugnacious,  or  happy  in  the  midst  of  con- 
flict, and  about  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  put  an  end 
to  the  freight-rate  chaos  that  had  lasted  for  years,  and 
establish  an  ari-angement  with  his  rivals  that  would  en- 
able him  to  avoid  the  continual  battle,  the  din  of  M'hich 
was  one  of  the  j^leasures  of  his  father's  life. 

Truce  was  hardly  declared  before  the  railroad  strikes 
and  riots  began.  One  of  the  results  of  cutting  rates 
had  been  that  the  companies  had  been  unable  to  main- 
tain their  scale  of  wages,  and  the  Hudson  Kiver  and  Cen- 
tral had  in  July  made  a  reduction  of  ten  per  cent.  There 
were  12,000  men  in  its  employ,  and  apprehensions  be- 
gan to  be  felt,  in  view  of  the  febi-ile  condition  of  the 
working-classes,  that  trouble  migiit  result  from  the  re- 
duction. An  attack  on  the  Grand  Central  Depot  was 
threatened,     Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  in  Saratoga,  and  call- 


150  THE   VANDEEBILTS, 

iiig  some  directors  and  officers  into  conference,  a  plan 
Avas  devised,  adopted,  and  put  into  execution.  He  sent 
out  hy  telegraph  a  proclamation  that  the  Kew  York 
Central  and  Hudson  Iliver  Railroad  Company  would 
give  to  its  employes  $100,000  ratably,  except  to  the 
executive,  departmental,  and  clerical  forces.  At  the 
same  time  he  promised  a  restoration  of  the  ten  per  cent, 
as  soon  as  the  business  of  the  road  justified  the  action. 
Out  of  the  12,000  men  less  than  500  gave  trouble,  and 
the  old  wages  were  eventually  restored. 

During  the  early  j'ears  of  his  absolute  control  of  the 
property,  he  did  all  he  could  to  avoid  friction,  and  re- 
duce the  chances  of  rate-cutting  on  the  part  of  rival 
roads. 

But  all  did  not  go  smoothly.  There  were  angry  mut- 
terings  about  the  will.  WiUiam  H.  Vanderbilt  had  re- 
ceived at  least  $90,000,000,  while  to  the  unfortunate  sec- 
ond son,  Cornelius  J.,  the  testator  bequeathed  only  the 
income  derived  from  $200,000,  with  the  condition  that 
he  should  forfeit  even  this  if  he  began  a  contest  of  the 
will.  For  years  "  Cornele  "  had  been  virtually  banished 
from  his  father's  house,  occasional  interviews  being  ob- 
tained only  through  the  intercession  of  his  mother  or 
sisters.  Even  on  his  death-bed,  the  Commodore  said 
he  did  not  care  to  see  his  wayward  son.  The  feeling 
was  reciprocal,  and  the  latter  took  apparent  pleasure  in 
rehearsing  to  knots  of  listenei's  the  story  of  his  wi'ongs, 
and  details  of  his  father's  life  M-hich  M'ere  probably  the 
oftspring  of  a  sick  man's  disordered  fancy. 

"  Why  doesn't  he  give  me  a  chance  ?  "  the  exiled 
epileptic  would  ask  in  an  angry  whine.  "  Everybody 
admits  that  I  know  more  than  Bill  docs,  even  if  I  don't 


COISTTEST   OF   THE    WILL.  151 

know  very  much.  AMij  doesn't  father  put  nic  in  charge 
of  some  little  branch  road  somewhere  and  see  what  I 
could  do  ?  " 

But  the  fatlier  remained  unrelenting,  and  he  had  em- 
phasized his  distrust  in  his  will.  As  to  the  merits  of 
the  division  of  property,  public  opinion  was  mainly  on 
the  side  of  the  chief  legatee,  but  many  who  did  not  know 
the  pensioned  son  thought  that  injustice  had  been  done 
him.  There  were  greedy  and  need}'  lawyers  to  fan  the 
controvers}',  and  the  result  at  last  was  a  contest  of  tlie 
will.  For  a  yeai*  the  public  was  regaled  with  foreshad- 
owings  of  the  evidence  at  hand  to  prove  the  testator's 
mental  incompetency  to  make  a  will,  and  it  revealed 
nmch  of  family  matters  that  was  not  entirely  pleasant, 
and  a  tremendous  inventive  faculty  on  the  part  of  the 
contestant.  The  public  appetite  was  whetted,  and  the 
public  eye  on  the  qui  vive  for  scandal  when,  to  his 
credit,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  compromised  by  giving  to  his 
litigious  brother  the  income  on  §1,000,000.* 

At  least  two  of  the  sisters  had  sympathized  with 
"  Cornele's  "  suit,  and  had  given  him  aid  and  comfort, 
neither  of  them  liking  the  legatee,  and  one  of  them 
not  having  been  for  years  on  speaking  terms  with  him  ; 
but  now,  in  addition  to  the  bequests  made  to  his  sis- 
ters, William  II.  voluntarily  added  $500,000  to  each 
from  his  own  portion. 

Pie  drove  around  one  evening,  and  distributed  this 
splendid  largess  from  his  carriage,  he  himself  carrying 
the  bonds  into  each  house  in   his  arms  and   delivering 

*  A  year  or  two  later,  on  April  3,  1882,  Cornelius  Jeremiah  Yander- 
liilt  was  shot  dead  in  his  room  at  the  Glenham  Hotel,  and  it  was  sup- 
posed that  the  shot  was  lired  by  his  own  hand. 


152  THE    VANDEEBILTS. 

them  to  each  sister  in  turn.  The  donation  was  accom- 
panied by  two  interesting  incidents.  In  one  case  the 
husband  said,  "  William,  I've  made  a  qnick  calculation 
here,  and  I  iind  these  bonds  don't  amount  to  quite 
$500,000.  They're  $150  short,  at  the  price  quoted  to- 
day." The  donor  smiled,  and  sat  down  and  made  out 
his  check  for  the  sum  to  balance. 

In  another  case,  a  husband,  after  counting  and  receipt- 
ing for  the  $500,000  followed  the  generous  visitor  out 
of  the  door,  and  said,  "  By  the  way,  if  you  conclude 
to  give  the  other  sisters  any  more,  you'll  see  that  we 
fare  as  well  as  any  of  them,  won't  you  ? "  The  donor 
jumped  into  his  carriage  and  drove  off  without  replying, 
only  saying,  with  a  laugh,  to  his  companions,  "  Well, 
what  do  you  think  o'  that  ? " 

The  money  which  "  Cornele  "  had  borrowed  so  ]-eck- 
lessly  of  Horace  Greeley  had  never  been  repaid,  and 
knowing  that  the  too-generous  editor's  daughters  were 
in  need  of  it,  Whitelaw  Reid,  his  successor  on  the 
Trihune,  began  timely  and  vigorous  negotiations  which 
resulted  successfully.  It  was  made  one  of  the  conditions 
of  the  compromise  of  the  law-suit  that  $G0,000  should 
be  at  once  paid  to  them,  and  the  condition  was  fultilled. 

Negotiations  for  the  purchase  of  the  Canada  Southern 
began  before  the  Commodore  died,  but  remained  to  be 
completed.  Now  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  in  consideration  of 
paying  the  debt  resulting  from  a  default  on  its  bond-in- 
terest, was  given  a  majority  of  the  stock.  A  joint  com- 
mittee representing  the  two  companies  agreed  upon  a 
basis  of  reorganization,  the  old  bonds  being  exchanged 
for  new,  bearing  three  per  cent,  interest  for  five  years 
and  five  per  cent,  thereafter,  the  interest  on  the  new 


INCREASING   THE   FORTUNES.  153 

issue  being  guaranteed  for  twenty  years  Ly  the  New 
York  Central  road.  The  Michigan  Central  was  pur- 
chased in  open  market. 

Mr  Yanderbilt's  financial  methods  showed  that  he 
regarded  the  fortune  that  had  been  left  him  as  a  trust, 
and  he  took  good  care  not  to  dissipate  it.  He  took  few 
chances.  His  father  was  never  more  careful  about  in- 
terest than  he.  He  allowed  nothing  to  go  to  loose  ends. 
He  compelled  strict  accounting,  and  never  gave  any  man 
with  whom  he  had  dealings  a  dollar  that  was  not  his 
due.  He  was  never  penurious,  but  he  always  made  close 
calculations. 

At  one  time  when  he  "was  in  Europe,  he  wrote  home, 
"  We  are  being  cheated  out  of  our  eye-teeth,  and  have  to 
pay  at  least  double  prices  everywhere,  because  we  are 
supposed  to  be  rich.  We  have  to  put  up  with  the  over- 
charges, for  it  is  the  only  way  to  get  through  Europe. 
But  it  makes  me  mad  all  the  same." 

When  in  active  control  of  aifairs  at  the  office  he  fol- 
lowed the  unwholesome  habit  of  eating  the  midday 
lunch  at  his  desk,  the  waiter  bringing  it  from  a  neigh- 
boring restaurant. 

He  paid  his  bill  for  this  weekly,  and  he  always 
scrutinized  the  items  with  proper  cai-e.  "  Was  I  hei-e 
last  Thursday  ? "  he  asked  of  a  clerk  at  an  adjoining 
desk. 

"  No,  Mr.  Yanderbilt ;  you  stayed  at  home  that  day." 

"  So  I  thought,"  he  said,  and  struck  that  day  from 
the  bill. 

Another  time  he  would  exclaim,  sotto  voce,  "  I  didn't 
order  coffee  last  Tuesday,"  and  that  item  would  vanish. 

These  instances  are  mentioned  as  illustratinu;  his  care- 


154  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

fill  and  accurate  business  habits,  the  prime  secret  of  his 
success  as  a  raih-oad  operator  and  owner. 

All  these  years  the  growth  of  the  country  was  unpre- 
cedented. Ev^erj'  day  brought  across  the  sea  new  citi- 
zens to  cultivate  and  populate  the  West,  and  the  incom- 
ing ship  was  a  feeder  of  his  roads,  and  the  quarter-section 
of  prairie-land  turned  up  to  the  sun  and  planted  with 
wheat  increased  his  revenue. 

The  vast  fortune  left  him  by  his  father  was  visibly 
growing,  and  he  soon  began  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty- 
first  Street  the  construction  of  a  palace  commensurate 
with  his  income,  and  the  establishment  of  a  gallery  of 
modern  art  adequate  to  grace  so  spacious  and  luxurious 
a  mansion. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE   MANSION. 

The  Style  and  Cost — Six  Hundred  Workmen  and  Sixty  Sculptors — 
Description  of  the  Rooms— The  Vestibule — The  Picture  Gallery 
— Hoping  to  Live  There  Ten  Years — Leaves  in  Five. 

The  finest  and  most  costly  private  residence  in 
America  is  the  brown-stone  house  on  tlie  northwesterly 
coi'ner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty-first  Street,  standing 
on  a  lot  fronting  100  feet  on  the  avenue,  and  extending 
back  150  feet.  The  whole  block  between  Fifty-first  and 
Fifty-second  Streets  was  secured,  and  on  this  Mr.  Van- 
derbilt  erected  this  double  four-story  mansion. 

The  southern  portion  of  this  was  for  his  own  resi- 
dence, while  the  northern  building  he  gave  to  his  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  Sloane  and  Mrs.  Shepard.  His  own 
residence  is  115x84  feet,  and  is  built  in  the  style  of 
architecture  known  as  the  Greek  renaissance.  About 
three  years  wei-e  consumed  in  building  the  mansions,  and 
the  family  moved  in  late  in  1881,  Mrs.  Yanderbilt  giving 
her  first  reception  on  the  ITth  of  January,  1882. 

It  was  Mr.  Yanderbilt's  first  intention  to  build  his 
liouses  of  light  stone,  with  colored  marble  pilasters, 
columns  and  trinnnings,  but  as  much  of  the  material 
would  have  to  be  imported,  and  the  carvings  would  take 
a  long  time,  it  might  delay  the  completion  of  the  build- 


156  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

ings  for  a  couple  of  years.  On  this  account,  even  after 
the  foundations  were  laid,  and  all  the  plans  completed, 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  decided  at  the  last  moment  to  use  brown- 
stone,  the  material  generally  used  for  Fifth  Avenue 
residences.  lie  said  that  he  was  not  a  young  man,  and 
that  taking  the  average,  he  had  a  life  of  about  ten  years 
before  him,  and  that  as  he  wanted  to  live  in  the  house, 
and  did  not  wish  to  be  ens-a^ed  in  buildino-  all  of  his 
days,  brown-stone  should  be  used,  as  it  would  not  take 
so  long  to  work  as  the  materials  originally  proposed. 

Mrs.  Yanderbilt  was  contented  with  her  home  at  450 
Fifth  Avenue,  and  never  wished  for  a  better.  However 
rich  and  opulent  her  subsequent  surroundings,  she  has 
still  remembered,  with  never-fading  pleasure,  the  quiet 
home  on  the  Xew  Dorp  farm,  and  the  real  friendships 
formed  there.  She  tried  to  dissuade  her  husband  from 
entering  the  uew  palace.  She  once  said  to  a  friend,  who 
called  upon  her  while  the  great  residence  was  in  the 
course  of  construction  : 

"  We  don't  need  a  house  better  than  this,  and  I  luite 
to  think  of  leaving  it,  for  we  have  lived  so  comfortably 
here !  I  have  told  William  that  if  he  wants  a  finer 
place  for  his  pictures  to  build  a  gallery  to  which  he 
could  go  whenever  he  felt  inclined  ;  this  is  too  good  a 
liouse  to  leave.  I  shall  never  feel  at  home  in  the  new 
place." 

Work  was  begun  in  1879,  and  was  pushed  with  such 
energy  and  rapidity  that  the  new  houses  were  completed 
in  two  years.  More  than  six  hundred  men  were  em- 
ployed for  a  year  and  a  half  on  the  interior  decoi'ations, 
and  sixty  sculptors  brought  from  Europe  were  kept  at 
work  the  same  lentj;th  of  time.     Tlie  cost  of  the  whole 


THE   DINING    ROOM.  157 

block  of  houses  was  over  two  millions  of  dollars,  two- 
thirds  of  which  should  be  set  down  to  his  own  residence. 
The  designing,  construction,  and  furnishing  of  the  house 
was  left  wholly  to  the  artists  whom  he  employed,  and  he 
never  made  any  contracts  with  them,  they  having  carte 
Manche  to  ransack  the  world  and  spare  no  money  to  get 
what  they  needed.  He  took  great  interest  in  the  work 
during  its  progress,  and  all  the  designs  were  submitted 
to  him,  from  the  first  stone  to  the  last  piece  of  decora- 
tion or  furniture.  He  spent  many  pleasant  hours  in  tlie 
designing-rooms,  and  often  gave  the  workmen  money  to 
encourage  tliem. 

The  drawing-room,  the  dining-room,  and  the  lower 
hall,  are  the  most  costly  parts  of  the  residence.  The 
house  is  entered  by  a  spacious  vestibule  which  stretches 
between  the  two  mansions.  The  ceiling  of  this  is  of 
bronze  and  stained  glass,  filled  in  with  a  mosaic  made 
by  Fecchina,  of  Venice,  from  plans  drawn  in  New  York. 
The  walls  are  of  a  light-colored  African  marble  sur- 
mounted by  a  frieze  of  figures  in  mosaic.  There  are 
fixed  marble  seats  in  this  room,  the  floor  of  which  is  of 
marble  and  mosaic.  The  bronze  doors  at  the  entrance 
are  Barbedienne  reductions  of  those  by  Ghiberti  in  the 
Baptistry  at  Florence.  These  M-ere  given  to  Mr.  Yan- 
derbilt  by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Elliot  F.  Shepard,  who 
bought  them  at  tlie  San  Donato  sale  for  $20,000.  They 
were  formerly  the  doors  of  the  palace  of  the  Prince  of 
San  Donato,  A  large  malachite  vase  stands  in  this  ves- 
tibule. It  was  bought  for  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  at  the  same 
sale,  by  Governor  J.  Schuyler  Crosb}-,  then  United  States 
Consul  at  Florence.  It  was  given  to  the  first  Prince 
Demidoff,  of  San  Donato,  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia. 


158  THE   YANDERBILTS. 

Passing  from  this  large  outer  vestibule,  one  enters  the 
private  vestibule  of  tlie  Vanderbilt  residence,  which  is 
finished  with  a  high  wainscoating  of  marble,  and  has 
three  bronze  doors — the  one  on  the  right  opening  into 
a  small  dressing-room,  the  left  into  Mr.  Vanderbilt's 
private  reception-room,  and  the  third  door  into  the 
main  hall  of  the  house.  The  great  middle  hall  or  court 
extends  the  full  lieight  of  the  house,  and  is  surrounded 
by  galleries,  tier  above  tier,  leading  to  the  different  pri- 
vate living-rooms.  It  is  lighted  by  nine  large  stained 
glass  windows,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  wainscoting 
twelve  feet  high,  in  carved  English  oak.  Eight  square 
pillars  of  dark  red  African  marble,  with  bronze  capitals, 
support  the  galleries.  Facing  the  entrance  is  a  large 
and  beautiful  mantel-piece  of  red  marble  and  bronze, 
over  an  open  fire-place.  It  reaches  to  the  first  gallery, 
and  has  on  each  side  a  life-size  female  figure  in  bronze 
in  high  relief.  The  chimney-piece  is  of  massive  sculpt- 
ured marble,  and  the  effect  is  very  fine.  Carved  oak 
seats  are  placed  on  both  sides  of  the  door  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  hall,  passing  into  the  drawing-room.  The 
main  staircase  leads  from  the  north  of  this  hall,  and  is 
lighted  by  stained  glass  windows  by  La  Farge,  noticeable 
for  the  artist's  management  of  greens  and  blues. 

The  drawing-room,  which  is  25  x  31  feet,  has  a  ceiling 
painted  by  Gallaud,  of  Paris.  The  wood-work  is  a  mass 
of  sculpture,  gilded  and  glazed  with  warm  tints.  The 
walls  are  hung  with  a  pale  red  velvet,  embroidered  with 
foliage,  flowers,  and  butterflies,  and  enriched  with  cut 
crystal  and  precious  stones.  The  lights  are  arranged  in 
eight  vases  of  stained  and  jewelled  glass  disposed  at  the 
corners,  at   the  angles  of  the  large  east  window,  and 


THE   DKAWIiVG    KOOMS.  1.09 

at  tlie  sides  of  the  door.  Sonieof  these  \'a.scs,  uplield  hy 
ieiiiale  tigures  in  solid  silver,  stand  on  pedestals  of  onyx 
with  l)ronze  trimmings,  while  the  lights  in  the  corners  are 
backed  by  mirrors,  to  add  to  their  brilliancy,  and  rest  (jn 
black  velvet  bases.  The  carpet  was  woven  in  Enro})e 
from  special  designs. 

At  the  north  of  the  drawing-room  there  is  a  door 
opening  into  the  library,  a  room  26  x  IT  feet.  The  wood- 
work of  this  room,  composed  of  mahogany  and  rose- 
wood, is  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl  and  brass  in  an 
antique  Greek  pattern.  The  book-cases,  mantels,  and 
doors  are  treated  in  the  same  manner.  A  large  table  in 
the  same  style  stands  in  the  center  of  the  room,  and  all 
tlie  furniture  corresponds.  The  ceiling  is  set  with  panels 
containing  small  square  mirrors. 

In  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  private  reception-room  the  walls 
ai'e  fitted  with  a  high  wainscoting  of  mahogain',  the 
space  above  being  covered  with  stamped  leather.  The 
ceiling  is  of  massive  mahogany. 

South  of  the  drawitig-room  there  is  a  Japanese  parlor. 
In  this  room  the  ceiling  is  of  bamboo,  picked  out  witli 
red,  green,  and  yellow  lacquer-work.  The  rafters  are 
exposed.  A  low-toned  tapestry,  with  panels  of  Japanese 
uncut  velvet  in  curious  designs,  cover  the  walls  and  fur- 
niture. A  low  cabinet  of  Japanese  pattern  extends 
around  the  room,  containing  innumerable  shelves,  cup- 
boards, and  closets.  At  various  points  tliere  are  bronze 
panels,  picked  out  in  gold  and  silver.  There  is  a  large 
open  fireplace  in  this  room.  The  dimensions  of  this 
room  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  library,  17  x  26  feet. 

To  the  west  is  the  handsome  dining-room,  in  Italian 
Renaissance,  28  x  37  feet.     It  contains  an  arranicement 


160  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

of  glass-faced  cases,  supported  by  rich  consoles,  that  rest 
upon  a  beautiful  wainscot  of  English  oak,  of  a  deep 
golden  hue,  delicately  carved.  These  cases  ai-e  filled 
with  silver,  porcelain,  and  glass.  The  elliptical  arched 
ceiling  is  divided  into  small  oblong  panels,  carved  in 
relief,  representing  fruit  and  foliage  decorated  in  various 
tints  of  gold.  The  spaces  at  each  end  of  the  room,  be- 
tween the  wainscot  and  ceiling,  and  the  lai'ge  center 
panel  of  the  ceiling,  are  filled  Avith  paintings  by  Lumin- 
als, of  Paris,  representing  hunting-scenes,  etc.  The  fur- 
niture is  of  English  oak,  with  brass  ornaments,  and  cov- 
ered with  stamped  leather. 

The  great  picture-gallery  is  to  the  west  of  the  main 
hall,  and  occupies  the  entire  rear  of  the  building.  The 
dimensions  are  32  x  48  feet.  The  ceiling  is  thirty-five 
feet  high,  and  is  chiefly  formed  of  a  sky-light  in  opales- 
cent and  tinted  glass,  leaded  in  quaint  designs.  A  mon- 
umental mantelpiece  of  red  African  marble,  Avith  cone 
of  glass  mosaic-work,  occupies  the  western  wall.  The 
woodwork  of  the  room  is  black  oak,  with  San  Domingo 
mahogany  for  the  caryatides  and  pilasters.  The  floor  is 
inlaid  M'ith  the  same  mahogany,  and  bordered  with  a 
mosaic  of  Sienna  and  black  marble  in  the  Pompeiian 
style.  The  walls  above  the  wainscoting  are  covered 
with  a  dark-red  tapestry,  to  set  off  the  pictures.  Over 
the  doors  on  the  north,  east,  and  south  sides  are  balconies 
connecting  with  the  second  story  of  the  liouse.  The  gal- 
lery has  a  separate  entrance  from  Fifty-first  Street,  and 
the  vestibule  is  entirely — floor,  walls  and  ceiling — of 
marble  mosaic-work  made  in  Venice.  North  of  the  gal- 
lery is  the  aquarelle  room.  This  is  finished  in  Circas- 
sian walnut,  Moorish  style,  touched  hei'e  and  there  with 


THE   LIVING   ROOMS.  161 

hi-iglit  colors.  The  conservatory  opens  into  the  gallery 
from  the  west. 

After  ascending  the  staircase,  witli  its  bronze  banis- 
ters, to  the  first  landing,  the  room  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  honse  is  the  family  parlor.  It  is  finished 
in  ebony,  inlaid  with  ivory.  The  walls  are  covered  with 
a  dark-blue  silk  brocade,  and  the  ceiling  is  divided  in 
small  panels,  with  paintings  of  children  at  play. 

The  next  room  on  Fifth  Avenue  is  Mrs.  Vanderbilt's 
bedroom,  furnished  by  Alard,  of  Paris.  The  walls  are 
of  white  marble,  hung  with  silk,  and  the  ceiling  is  cov- 
ered with  the  painting,  '•  Awakening  of  Aurora,''  by 
Lefebvre.  The  frieze  is  of  rosewood  and  mahogany. 
The  room  is  twenty-six  feet  square. 

Mr.  Yanderbilt's  ix)om,  adjoining,  is  the  one  in  which 
he  died.  A  large  Turkish  rug  covers  the  polished  oak 
fioor,  in  the  center  of  the  room,  and  richly  embroidered 
hangings  of  golden-brown  are  draped  from  the  windows 
and  doors  of  the  apartment.  The  furniture  is  of  polished 
ebony,  artistically  inlaid  with  satin-wood,  and  from  the 
canopy  of  the  bed  hang  heavy  silken  curtains.  Carefully 
selected  paintings  fi'om  the  brushes  of  master  hands 
grace  the  paneled  walls  at  iiitei-vals. 

Adjoining  the  bedroom  is  a  dressing-room.  This  is 
wainscoted  eight  feet  high  in  glass  opalescent  tiles  of 
blue,  gold,  and  silver  tints,  and  gilded  on  the  backs. 
Tiie  bath-tubs  and  basins  are  of  mahogany  and  silver, 
and  are  concealed  by  sliding  plate-glass  mirrors.  A 
well  appointed  dressing-table  and  a  luxurious  barber's 
chair,  comprise  the  furniture  of  this  room. 

The  large  room  on  Fifty-first  Street  is  a  library,  fitted 
up  in   mahogany  and  stamped  leather.     The  bedroom 


162  THE   VAIS^DERBILTS. 

intended  for  Miss  Lelia,  now  Mrs.  Webb,  is  fitted  witli 
rosewood,  inlaid  with  inother-of-pearl.  The  mirrors 
are  painted  with  an  imitation  of  lacework  through  which 
peep  children's  heads. 

Mr.  Vanderbilthad  expressed  the  hope  that  he  would 
be  able  to  live  in  his  palace  ten  years,  but  when  five 
years  had  barely  elapsed  he  was  bui'ied  from  its  spa- 
cious vestibule. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   ART   GALLERY. 

Modern  French  Art — Best  Collection  in  the  World — A  Good  Invest- 
ment— Mr.  Vanderbilt's  Tastes  and  Fancies — His  Visits  to  Ar- 
tists—Abuse of  Hospitality. 

One  of  the  most  enduring  monuments  of  William  H. 
Vanderbilt  is  the  collection  of  art  treasures  which  he 
made.  The  value  of  these  pictures  is  estimated  at  a  mill- 
ion and  a  half  of  dollars,  and  it  is  known  to  be  the  most 
complete  collection  of  works  in  the  world  representing 
the  best  modern  artists  of  France.  The  canvases  number 
a  little  over  two  hundred,  and  many  are  the  best  ex- 
amples of  the  masters  who  painted  them.  They  were 
not  purchased  as  a  commercial  speculation,  although  the 
money  is  well  invested,  since  they  constantly  increase  in 
value  with  age,  and  especially  after  the  death  of  the  ar- 
tists, for  Mr.  Vanderbilt  included  a  provision  in  his  will 
which  should  forever  continue  the  gallery  and  the  house 
in  the  possession  of  some  male  descendant  of  his  bearing 
the  name  of  Vanderbilt. 

j\Ir.  Vanderbilt  had  learned  to  enjoy  and  appreciate 
works  of  art  long  before  lie  was  able  to  purchase  the 
best.  Even  when  he  went  to  Eui'ope  with  his  father  in 
the  memorable  North  Star  excursion,  he  brought 
back  with  him  for  his   farm-house  on  Staten  Island  a 


164  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

couple  of  small  but  good  Italian  paintings.  Later  in 
life,  after  lie  had  become  associated  with  the  Commo- 
dore in  business,  and  was  living  on  Fifth  Avenue,  he 
was  fond  of  going  down  to  the  Tenth  Street  Studio 
Building,  in  ]^ew  York,  and  purchasing  works  by  such 
well-known  American  artists  as  Samuel  Coleman,  James 
Hart,  J.  F.  Cropsey,  J.  Brown,  Tait,  Beard  and  Guy. 
He  was  especially  fond  of  Mr.  Guy,  and  finally  gave  him 
an  order  for  a  large  picture  representing  the  interior  of 
his  residence  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fortieth 
Street,  with  himself  surrounded  by  his  family.  At 
the  request  of  Mr.  Guy  be  allowed  this  picture  to  be  ex- 
hibited at  the  JSTational  Academy.  There  it  was  seen 
by  a  horde  of  irresponsible  newspaper  critics,  who  per- 
mitted themselves  to  write  many  things  which  were  per- 
sonal to  Mr.  Vanderbilt  and  his  family,  and  which 
proved  very  annoying.  Some  critics  foiget  to  be  judi- 
cial regarding  the  work  under  review,  when  they  happen 
to  know  the  artist  or  author.  After  this  experience  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  said  he  would  never  loan  another  picture  for 
public  view,  and  he  never  did. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  did  not  continue  to  make  a  collection 
of  American  pictures  after  he  had  come  into  possession 
of  his  fortune,  since  he  was  able  to  buy  the  best  and 
most  costly  in  the  world.  He  decided,  at  the  outset,  to 
procure  nothing  that  was  not  important.  Many  of  his 
line  pictures  were  painted  to  order.  He  visited  Paris 
frequently,  became  acquainted  with  the  artists,  and  took 
a  personal  interest  in  them.  When  he  gave  a  commis- 
sion, it  was  not  unusual  for  him  to  offer  a  higher  price 
than  was  proposed,  telling  the  artists  at  the  same  time 
that  he  wanted  them  to  do  the   best  thev  could.     He 


PAINTED   TO   ORDER.  165 

often  made  the  artists  presents  in  addition  to  the  stipu- 
lated price.  In  18TS  he  had  four  pictures  painted  to 
order  by  Meissonier,  Geroine,  Detaille,  and  Rosa  Bon- 
lieur.  These  are,  in  the  order  of  tlie  artists  named 
above,  ''An  Artist  and  his  Wife,"  18  x  15  inches  ;  "  Re- 
ception of  the  Prince  of  Conde  by  Louis  XIA^." ; 
"  Tlie  Arrest  of  an  Ambulance,  Eastern  Part  of  France, 
January,  1871,"  46x32  inches;  and  "A  Flock  of 
Sheep." 

In  1879  the  following  pictures  were  painted  to  order 
for  him,  "  Down  by  the  River,"  by  Alma-Tadenia,  of  Lon- 
don, a  work  32x68  inches;  "The  Portrait,"  by  Louis 
Leloir;  "A  Fete  During  the  Carnival,"  by  Madrazo  ; 
"  Ready  for  the  Hunt,"  by  Rosa  Bonheur,  and  "  Ready 
for  the  Fancy  Ball,"  a  water-color  by  Alfred  Stevejis. 
In  1880  Meissonier's  poi-trait  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was 
added  to  the  collection  ;  Antoine  Seitz,  of  Munich,  added 
"  Homeless,"  and  Detaille  and  Vibert  contributed  two 
water-colors.  In  1881  new  pictures  were  painted  to 
order  by  Professor  Ivnaus,  of  the  Berlin  Academy,  and 
Defregger,  of  Munich.  In  1882  Jules  Lefevre,  of  Paris, 
painted  his  great  picture,  "  Attiring  the  Bride,"  a  can- 
vas 69  X  9-1  inches. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt,  like  most  other  men  of  decided 
character,  liked  to  do  things  in  his  own  way.  He  was 
not  niggardly  in  his  dealings  with  artists,  acting  toward 
them  with  the  same  generosity  and  lavishness  he  always 
showed  in  the  building  and  furnishing  of  his  house. 
But  he  had  an  independent  judgment  of  his  own,  and, 
regardless  of  the  reputation  of  the  artist,  he  would  not 
buy  a  work  which  he  did  not  like  and  comprehend.  If 
his  attention  was  called  to  a  certain  picture,  he  was  apt 


166  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

to  reply,  "  It  may  be  very  fine,  but  until  I  can  appre- 
ciate its  beauty  I  shall  not  buy  it."  For  many  years  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  would  not  buy  a  Corot,  since  he  did  not  see 
the  beauty  of  his  work,  but  in  the  end  he  purchased  two 
small  examples,  because,  he  said,  he  was  tired  of  being 
told  that  he  must  have  a  Corot !  lie  liked  pictures 
which  told  a  story,  with  either  strong  or  cheerful  sub- 
jects, such  as  appeal  to  the  imagination  of  the  ordinary 
individual,  and  of  these  the  bulk  of  his  gallery  is  com- 
posed. In  this  he  seems  to  have  had  the  spirit  of  the 
Greek  artists  of  two  thousand  years  ago,  the  chief  char- 
acteristic of  whose  work  was  simplicity.  According  to 
Professor  Waldstein,  of  Cambridge,  England,  "Their 
works  were  meant  to  be  gazed  upon,  and  not  to  be  the 
subject  of  learned  commentaries  ;  they  were  intelligible 
to  the  people,  appealed  to  their  senses,  their  feelings, 
without  the  need  of  a  verbal  explanation." 

He  had  no  affectation  regarding  the  fine  arts,  or  any- 
thing else,  but  was  frank  and  simple  in  his  manners  and 
conversation.  He  would  not  purchase  a  picture  of  a 
nude  subject,  and  he  had  a  natural  delicacy  which  made 
him  dislike  anything  bordering  on  the  doubtful  or  pru- 
rient, hence  there  are  no  such  pictures  in  his  gallery. 
He  was  fond  of  brilliant  historical  pictures,  and  obtained 
many  of  them.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  may  have  intended,  as 
lias  been  asserted  in  some  quarters,  to  use  his  collection 
for  the  public  good,  and  especially  for  the  benefit  of 
American  artists,  but  since  no  such  arrangement  is  con- 
templated by  his  will  it  would  be  profitless  to  discuss 
Avliat  he  might  have  done.  Soon  after  taking  posses- 
sion of  his  house  in  1882,  he  gave  several  large  recep- 
tions to   his   gentlemen   friends,   who  were  invited  to 


HIS    METHOD.  107 

inspect  the  picture-gallery.  And  on  a  few  occasions  he 
opened  his  gallery  to  those  who  iuid  been  invited  by 
card. 

An  anecdote  is  related  of  Mr.  Tanderbilt,  while  in 
Paris,  which  shows  that  he  Avas  always  guided  by  com- 
mon-sense. A  Frencli  nobleman  wrote  to  him  that  he 
had  many  articles  of  re/iu  which  he  wished  to  sell,  such 
as  Louis  XA^I.  f urnitui'e,  Sevres  china,  Marie  Antoinette 
tables,  etc.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  went  to  the  house  and  saw 
the  nobleman  and  his  articles  of  verta.  "When  he  re- 
turned, he  said, 

'•  There  are  those  who  are  supposed  to  know  all  about 
tliese  things  and  their  intrinsic  value,  and  of  the  associa- 
tions connected  with  them.  AVell,  I  do  not  know  all 
that,  and  I  am  too  old  to  learn.  If  I  should  buy  these 
things  and  take  them  to  Xew  York  and  tell  my  friends 
this  belonged  to  Louis  XYL  or  to  Mme.  Pompadour, 
and  should  relate  all  the  other  things  which  make  them 
valuable,  I  should  be  taking  them  from  a  field  where 
they  are  appreciated  to  a  place  where  they  would  not 
be.  Perhaps  I  should  know  less  about  them  than  any 
one  else.  It  would  be  mere  affectation  for  me  to  buy 
such  things." 

During  his  visits  to  Paris  Mr.  Yanderbilt  became 
acquainted  with  many  of  the  foremost  French  artists, 
among  others  Meissonier,  whom  he  liked  well,  and  of 
whom  he  purchased  altogether  seven  pictures,  at  a  total 
cost  of  $188,000.  The  artist,  in  turn,  appeared  to  like  his 
great  pati-on,  and  the  two  got  on  well  together.  One  day 
in  18S0  Mr.  Yanderbilt  requested  Meissonier  to  paint 
his  portrait.  "  I  do  not  often  paint  portraits,"  was  the 
reply,  "  but  I  will  paint  one  for  you." 


168  THE   YANDEEBILTS. 

While  sitting  for  this,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  asked  the  artist 
which  picture  he  considered  to  be  the  finest  he  had  ever 
painted.  "  The  Information — General  Desaix  and  the 
Captnred  Feasant,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Where  is  it  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Vanderbilt. 

"  I  have  not  seen  it  since  1867,  when  I  painted  it," 
said  the  artist  sadly.  "  It  is  in  Dresden,  and  belongs  to 
the  collection  of  Mr.  Meyer,  It  is  lost  to  Fi-ance,"  he 
added,  as  if  he  felt  sore  that  such  a  fine  work  should 
be  owned  by  a  German. 

Immediately,  without  letting  the  artist  into  the  se- 
cret, Mr.  Yanderbilt  requested  his  agent  to  ascertain 
from  the  owner  the  pi-ice  for  which  he  would  sell  the 
picture. 

"  Fifty  thousand  dollars,"  came  in  repl3\ 

"  Get  it,"  was  the  answer,  and  he  drew  a  check  upon 
his  banker  for  the  full  amount.  Mr.  Meyer  objected  to 
the  check,  and  wanted  the  cash,  so  the  next  day  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  went  to  the  bank  and  drew  the  money,  and 
in  a  few  days  the  picture  was  delivered  in  Paris.  Then 
he  prepared  a  surprise  for  the  artist.  He  had  the  pict- 
ure placed  on  an  easel  in  a  room  adjoining  Meissonier's 
studio,  and  at  the  close  of  one  of  his  sittings  for  the 
porti'ait,  said, 

"  Meissonier,  I  want  your  judgment  on  a  picture  I 
have  just  purchased." 

"  Certainly,  with  pleasure,"  was  the  reply.  "  Where 
is  it  ? " 

"  In  the  next  room,"  said  Mr.  Vanderbilt. 

So  they  went  into  the  room',  and  Mr.  Vanderbilt's 
attendant  uncovered  the  picture,  and  behold  !  it  was 
Meissonier's  masterpiece.    The  effect  was  electric.    The 


HIS  OWN  TASTE  CONSULTED.         169 

artist  threw  up  liis  arms,  uttered  exclamations  of  delight, 
got  down  on  his  knees  before  the  canvas,  sent  for  his 
wife,  and  danced  abont  as  only  a  mad  French  artist  can. 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  heartily  enjoyed  the  little  comedy,  and 
in  due  time  had  the  picture  sent  to  Xew  York. 

For  Meissonier's  picture,  "  The  Arrival  at  the  Cha- 
teau," Mr.  Vanderbilt  paid  8-10,000.  He  made  very 
liberal  offers  to  Mr.  Delahaute,  of  Paris,  for  Meissonier''s 
"  1814,''  representing  Xapoleon  with  his  marshals,  all  on 
horseback,  at  the  liead  of  his  army,  plodding  on  through 
a  deep  snow,  but  that  gentleman  declined  to  part  with  his 
treasure. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  bought  his  own  pictures,  as  every- 
thing else.  Two  or  three  middlemen,  known  as  "  deal- 
ers," tried  to  enhance  their  reputation  and  increase 
their  business  by  allowing  it  to  be  understood  that  they 
were  doing  his  buying  for  liim  ;  but  this  was  a  mistake. 
He  knew  what  he  was  about,  and  employed  them  as  sel- 
dom as  possible.  In  their  stead,  he  called  to  his  sym- 
pathetic assistance  several  friendly  connoisseurs  in  art, 
who  helped  him  gratuitously  and  impartially.  He  be- 
gan to  buy  pictures  quite  early  in  life,  before  he  could 
well  afford  to  do  so,  which  shows  that  he  had  a  natural 
love  for  art,  as  he  had  for  horses.  A  little  picture 
which  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  prizes  more  than  any  of  the  rest 
is  a  souvenir  which  her  husband  gave  her  moi"e  than 
thirty  years  ago,  and  which  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of 
ninety  dollars.  One  day,  when  the  pictures  were  being 
rearranged  in  his  new  house,  he  pointed  out  this  one  to 
his  son  George,  who  remarked  :  "I  suppose,  father,  you 
would  not  take  $800  for  that  now."  "  Xo,  nor  88,000, 
or  even  880,000,"  he  replied. 
8 


170  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

He  had  learned  to  ]ove  it,  and  it  had  given  him  and 
his  wife  an  innnense  anionnt  of  enjoyment  wlien  they 
lived  in  the  seclusion  and  retirement  of  the  Kew  Dorp 
farm.  It  was  this  same  life  on  a  farm  which  enabled 
him  to  have  some  sort  of  judgment  regarding  at  least 
two  of  the  valuable  pictures  he  bought ;  and  even  when 
in  Paris,  at  the  Palais  Royal,  or  in  the  studios  of  the 
most  famous  artists,  he  did  not  hesitate,  if  occasion  de- 
manded, to  acknowledge  with  frankness  and  simplicity 
liis  former  humble  life.  He  once  made  a  visit  to  Bouch- 
eron,  a  famous  French  picture-dealer,  to  see  a  work  by 
Troyon,  which  was  for  sale.  The  subject  is  a  yoke  of 
oxen  turning  to  leave  the  field  after  being  taken  from 
the  plow.  While  connoisseurs  spoke  highly  of  the  woi'k 
they  were  inclined  to  take  exceptions  to  the  action  of 
the  cattle,  thinking  it  forced  and  unnatural. 

"  Well,''  said  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  "  1  don't  know  as  much 
about  the  quality  of  the  picture  as  I  do  about  the  truth 
of  the  action  of  the  cattle.  I  have  seen  them  act  like 
that  thousands  of  times."  So,  too,  when  he  bought  the 
"Sower,"'  by  that  celebrated  artist,  J.  F.  Millet,  the 
thing  that  pleased  him  the  most  was  the  fidelity  to  nat- 
ure of  the  attitude  and  action  of  the  man  in  the  field, 
flinging  broadcast  the  seed. 

Once,  while  in  France,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  Avent  out  to 
Fontainebleau,  to  visit  Posa  Ponheur.  He  arrived 
eai'ly  in  the  morning,  and  took  breakfast  with  her.  The 
artist  and  the  American  millionaire  seemed  at  once  to 
feel  in  sympathy,  although  their  conversation  was  car- 
ried on  through  an  interpreter,  for  he  could  not  speak 
French,  and  she  was  unable  to  converse  in  English. 
He  gave  her  a  connnission  for  two  pictures,  when  she 


ROSA   BOXIIEUR   AND   GEKOME.  171 

replied  that  lie  could  only  have  one  in  a  year,  and  the 
other  in  two  or  three  years,  perhaps. 

"Tell  her,"  said  he,  "I  must  have  them.  I'm  get- 
ting to  be  an  old  man,  and  want  to  enjoy  them." 

With  a  woman's  ready  wit  she  laughed  at  him  for 
calling  himself  old,  for  she  had  discovered  that  they 
wei'e  both  of  the  same  age  ?  The  result  was  that  Eosa 
Bonheur  painted  both  pictures  within  the  year, 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  always  sought  for  the  best  pictures 
money  could  buy.  Once,  when  visiting  the  collection 
of  M.  Barbedienne,  in  Paris,  Mdio  did  the  bronze- work 
for  his  house,  he  saw  the  large  and  beautiful  "  Autumn 
Sunset,"  by  Dupre,  which  he  persuaded  the  owner  to 
part  with,  although  he  had  made  his  will,  which  left  all 
his  pictures  to  the  Louvre.  M.  Barbedienne  sold  the 
woi"k  to  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  and  is  said  to  have  regretted  it 
ever  since. 

Upon  another  occasion,  in  ISSO,  he  visited  in  London  a 
collection,  and  there  saw  the  original  picture  of  Gerome's 
"  Sword  Dance."  He  purchased  it  at  once,  and  sold  a 
less  impoi-tant  picture  with  the  same  subject,  by  the 
same  artist,  which  he  owned.  The  collection  finished, 
and  the  gallery  filled,  he  took  great  pride  in  the  fact 
that  it  contained  so  many  fine  examples. 

"  If  I  were  to  begin  to  buy  to-day,"  he  frequently  re- 
marked, "  I  could  not  within  a  few  years  gather  such  a 
collection  if  I  were  to  spend  all  my  fortune."  He  was 
once  asked  by  a  famous  sculptor  of  New  York  which  of 
his  pictures  he  liked  the  best. 

"  I  enjoy  them  all,"  was  the  reply. 

The  only  private  collections  in  America  which  can  at 
all  rank  with  the  Yanderbilt,  are  the  Stewart  and  Bel- 


172  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

mont  in  Xew  York,  and  the  Walter  in  Baltimore.  There 
are  no  liner  private  collections  of  modern  works  in  Eu- 
rope. Those  of-Defoer  Bey  and  M.  Secretan  in  Paris, 
and  of  Baron  Schroecier  and  Sir  Richard  Wallace,  iu 
London,  are  the  most  valuable  in  Europe. 

Some  of  the  more  important  works  in  this  unrivaled 
collection  are  as  follows :  "  Arrival  at  the  Chateau," 
"  Information,"  and  the  "  Ordinance,"  by  Meissonier  ; 
"  Champigny,"  and  the  "  Ambulance  Corps,"  by  De- 
taille;  "The  Sower,"  "Water  Carrier,"  and  other  ex- 
amples of  Millet ;  "  Fountain  of  Indolence,"  by  Turner  ; 
"  After  the  Chase,"  by  Sir  Edwin  Landseer  ;  "  Oda- 
lisque," by  Sir  Frederick  Leighton  ;  "  Bourget,"  by 
De  Neuville ;  "  The  Two  Families,"  by  Munkacsy ; 
"  The  Sword  Dance,"  by  Gerome ;  "  A  Study  from 
Kature,"  and  "  Gorges  d' Apremont,"  by  Rousseau  ; 
"  Rainbow,"  by  Jules  Breton  ;  "  Picture  Gallery," 
"  Sculpture  Gallery,"  "  The  Entrance  of  the  Theatre," 
and  "Down  by  the  River,"  by  Alma-Tadema  ;  "Fete 
During  the  Carnival,"  and  "  Masqueraders,"  by  Madra- 
zo;  "Arab  Fantasia  at  Tangiers,"  by  Fortuny ;  "The 
Village  Fete,"  by  Professor  Knaus ;  "Midday,"  by 
Jules  Dupi-e  ;  "  The  Bride  of  Lammermoor,"  by  Millais; 
"Arab  Plucking  a  Thorn  from  his  Foot,"  by  Bonnat ; 
"  The  King's  Favorite,"  by  Zamacois ;  "  A  Dream  of 
the  Arabian  Nights,"  and  "  Christening,"  by  Yillegas  ; 
"  Blindman's  Buff,"  the  "  Bathers,"  and  an  oriental  scene, 
by  Diaz ;  three  cattle  pieces  by  Troyon  ;  a  line  river 
view  by  Daubigny  ;  "  The  Good  Sister,"  by  Bouguer- 
eau  ;  "  Forbidden  Books,"  by  Vibert ;  "Game  of  Chess," 
by  Leloir ;  a  cattle  piece  by  Van  Marcke  ;  "  A  Hunting 
Scene,"  and  other  works,  by  Rosa  Bonheur ;  line  pict- 


FAMOUS   PICTURES.  173 

ures  by  such  artists  as  Clays,  Ziem,  Fromentin,  Edouard 
Frere,  Schreyer,  llamoii,  Williams  ;  a  fine  example  of 
Thomas  Faed ;  a  figure  piece  by  Boldini ;  Leopold  Mnl- 
ler's  "  Oriental  Market  Place,"  two  lovely  fan  designs 
in  water-colors,  by  Jaequemart  ;  a  sepia  by  Rosa  Bon- 
lieur  ;  "  Twilight  in  Scotland,"  by  Gustave  Dorc  ;  "  The 
Young  Mother,"  by  Bcranger ;  "  The  Reaper's  Return 
Home,"  by  Becker;  "Paying  the  Rent,"  by  Erskine 
Kicol  ;  "  Rubens  in  His  Studio,"  b\'  Sir  John  Gilbert ; 
"  The  Monai'ch  Oak,"  by  Linnell ;  '*  Returning  from  the 
Fair,"  by  Bochmann  ;  the  "Hungarian  Volunteers,"  by 
Pottenkoffen,  and  a  picture  by  Gerome  called  "  Recep- 
tion of  the  Prince  of  Condo  by  Louis  XIY."  A  descrip- 
tion of  it  was  given  by  the  artist  to  Mr.  Yanderbilt. 
"  The  reception  takes  place,"  says  the  artist,  "  on  the 
grand  staircase  at  Versailles.  This  staircase  no  longer 
exists.  It  was  destroyed  under  Louis  XV.,  but  there 
remains  an  engraving  of  it,  very  well  executed,  whicli 
has  enabled  me  to  reconstruct  it  w4th  truth.  In  the 
year  1074  Conde  had  returned  to  court,  where  lie  was 
received  with  triumph.  The  King  came  forward  to 
meet  him  on  the  grand  staircase,  which  was  not  his  usual 
habit.  The  Prince  was  going  up  slowly,  on  account  of 
the  gout,  which  made  him  almost  helpless.  As  soon  as 
he  saw  the  monarch,  'Sire,-  said  he,  'I  beg  your  Maj- 
esty's pardon,  to  make  you  wait  so  long.'  'My  cousin,' 
answered  the  King, '  do  not  hurry.  When  one  is  loaded 
with  laurels  as  you  are  it  is  difficult  to  walk  quickly.' 
By  the  side  of  Louis  XIV.  stands  his  son,  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  M'hom  they  called  the  Great  Dauphin,  at  that 
time  thirteen  years  old.  Behind  him  is  his  perceptor, 
Bossuet,  Bishop  of  Meaux." 


174  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

For  two  winters  Mr,  Yanderbilt  endeavored  to  sliai-e 
liis  treasures  with  the  public  of  New  York,  lie  opened 
liis  gallei'j  to  the  inspection  of  lovers  of  art  during  cer- 
tain days  of  each  w^eek,  and  was  very  generous  in  re- 
sponding to  requests  for  cards ;  but  some  of  the  more 
vulgar  and  intrusive  of  his  visitors  insisted  on  helping 
themselves  to  flowers  from  the  conservatory,  and  in- 
specting the  private  rooms  of  the  mansion  on  other 
floors,  and  this  annoyance  became  at  last  so  pronounced 
that  cards  were  granted  only  on  satisfactory  identifica- 
tion. During  the  last  year  access  to  the  gallery  was 
very  difficult. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE   VANDERBILT   FAMILY. 

Captain  "Jake" — His  Wealth  and  Habits — His  Children — The  Sis- 
ters of  William  H. — His  Widow  and  Children — Their  Homes  and  , 
Families. 

Captain  Jacob  Vandeebilt  more  nearly  resembled  tlie 
Commodore  than  any  of  bis  other  brothers  or  sisters. 
Like  him,  he  was  a  sea-captain,  and  for  j'ears  commanded 
some  of  the  largest  and  best-known  steamboats  on  the 
Sound.  He  was  Captain  of  the  ill-fated  Atlantic, 
which  was  lost  on  Fisher's  Island  some  forty  years  ago, 
and  had  he  not  been  detained  in  Stonington  by  a  matter 
of  business  would  have  had  charge  of  her  on  the  night 
on  which  she  was  wrecked.  Having  amassed  a  comfort- 
able fortune,  he  virtuallj^  retired  as  a  captain  about  1857, 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  Staten 
Island  Railroad  and  Ferry  Companj^  in  which  his 
brother  had  been  more  or  less  interested,  and  which  he, 
representing  his  brother,  with  some  other  prominent 
gentlemen,  purchased  of  George  Law.  Building  a  hand- 
some house  on  Grimes'  Hill,  Staten  Island,  he  has  re- 
sided there  ever  since,  and  has  been  President  of  the 
Staten  Island  Railroad  Company  almost  uninterruptedly 
from  1863,  when  AVilliam  H.  retired,  until  Mr.  Erastus 
Wiman  obtained  control   of  the   corporation  in  1883. 


176  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

Captain  Vandei-bilt  is  now  about  seventy-seven  years  of 
age,  is  spare  and  of  medium  height,  with  gray  whiskers, 
and  keen,  piercing  eyes,  having  all  the  featui-es  of  liis 
brother.  During  the  "  flush "  years  of  the  war  he 
made  considerable  money  in  Wall  Sti-eet,  but  has  never 
speculated  on  any  large  scale,  and  has  been  content  to 
live  modestly  and  quietly  in  his  Staten  Island  home. 
He  is  probabl}'  worth  about  seven  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. 

His  absorbing  and  almost  sole  amusement  is  driving, 
and  he  has  owned  some  famous  trotters  in  his  day,  one 
pair,  a  gift  from  the  Commodore,  standing  at  the  head 
of  the  2.20  class  for  several  years.  There  was  nothing 
the  old  Commodore  loved  better  than  to  pass  his  brother 
the  Captain,  on  the  road,  and  the  rivalry  between  the 
two  was  very  great.  Many  Staten  Islanders  reinember 
vividly  the  days  on  tlie  old  race-track  at  New  Dorp, 
when  the  Commodore  and  the  Captain  would  speed  their 
fleet  steeds  around  the  course,  and  the  excitement  that 
these  brushes  occasioned. 

The  Captain  himself  tells  a  story  of  how  one  day 
while  he  was  flying  behind  his  fleet  steeds  along  a  nar- 
row Staten  Island  road  he  heard  the  sound  of  wheels 
and  the  regular  hoof-beats  of  a  pair  of  trotters  behind 
him.  Faster  and  faster  did  his  horses  go,  but  nearer 
and  nearer  did  his  pursuer  approacii.  At  length  there 
appeai'ed  in  the  near  distance  a  bridge  with  only  room 
enough  for  one  team  to  pass  at  a  time.  With  true  horse- 
man instinct,  not  looking  round,  he  felt  that  he  had  now 
the  advantage  of  his  opponent ;  but  success  was  not  to 
be,  for  just  as  he  entered  upon  the  bridge  two  horses 
and  a  driver  dashed  past  him,  taking  off  both  wheels  of 


THE   CAPTAIX'S   FAMILY.  177 

liis  buggy,  and  the  familiar  form  of  the  Commodore 
was  discerned  guiding  the  reckless  steeds.  As  he  dashed 
aliead,  he  turned  slightly  and  remarked,  "  You  mustn't 
try  to  beat  your  brother,  Jake," 

Captain  Yanderbilt  married  a  Miss  Banta,an  estimable 
woman,  who  died  some  six  years  ago.  lie  was  exceedingly 
happy  in  his  domestic  relations.  His  children  have  all 
received  a  thorough  education,  his  two  daughters  being 
accomplished  musicians.  The  eldest.  Miss  Ellen  Yander- 
bilt, married  Captain  Sparrow  Purdy,  from  whom  she  was 
divorced  in  about  three  years,  and  who  afterward  died 
in  Egypt  in  the  service  of  the  Khedive,  after  having 
proved  himself  a  gallant  officer.  She  married  for  her 
second  husband  a  Mr.  Herman  Csesar,  who  also  died 
about  four  3'ears  ago,  leaving  her  a  widow  with  three 
children.  She  now  resides  at  Xew  Brighton,  Stateu 
Island,  and  is  very  much  esteemed  and  liked  by  her 
cousin's  family. 

His  second  daughter,  Miss  Clara  Yanderbilt,  married 
Mr.  James  McXamee,  of  the  firm  of  AYork,  Davies  & 
McXamee,  which  has  figured  so  largely  in  the  Grant 
&  AYard  case.  With  her  husband,  who  is  an  able 
lawyer  and  a  leading  politician  on  Staten  Island,  she  re- 
sides in  a  handsome  house  on  the  summit  of  Grimes' 
Hill,  about  half  a  mile  from  that  of  her  father.  Jacob 
H.  Yanderbilt,  Jr.,  the  Captain's  youngest  child,  is  now 
about  thirty-two  years  old  and  a  widower,  his  wife, 
Annie  Hazard,  having  died  three  years  ago,  leaving  two 
children.  Mr.  Yanderbilt  and  his  children  reside  with 
the  Captain. 

Miss  Phebe   Yanderbilt,  the  last-surviving   sister  of 

the  Commodore,   died  a  vear   a^o    as^ed    seventv-five. 

8*       ' 


178  THE   VAISTDERBILTS. 

Slie  never  married,  and  her  sweetness  of  character 
and  disposition  made  her  greatly  heloved  by  all  who 
knew  her.  She  was  the  favorite  sister  of  both  Comino- 
doi-e  and  Captain  Yanderbilt,  and  was  widely  known  in 
her  later  years  as  "  Annt  Phebe."  She  was  well  pro- 
vided for  in  the  Commodore's  will,  and  W.  H.  Vander- 
bilt  also  left  her  a  legacy  in  his,  which  in  consequence 
of  her  death  reverts  to  the  estate.  Miss  Yanderbilt 
lived  for  many  years  on  Staten  Island,  but  for  the  ten 
yeai's  preceding  her  death  she  made  lier  home  in  New 
York  witli  her  niece,  Mrs.  Head.  The  other  sisters 
of  the  Commodore  were  Mrs.  Barton  and  Mrs.  De  For- 
est, both  of  whom  left  large  families  of  children,  Avho 
have  all  been  remembered  in  the  famous  will. 

The  sisters  of  Mr,  AVilliam  IT.  Yanderbilt  who  are 
still  living  are,  Mrs.  Torrance,  Mrs.  W.  Tv.  Thorn,  Mrs. 
D.  B.  Allen,  Mrs.  LaBau,  now  Mrs.  Berger,  and  Mrs. 
Osgood.  Mrs.  Cross,  Mrs.  Lafitte,  who  first  married  Mr. 
Smith  Barker,  and  Mrs.  Robert  Isivens,  who  first  mar- 
ried Mr.  Horace  Clark,  are  dead.  The  daughters  of  the 
Commodore  were  all  women  of  fine  physique  and  re- 
niai'kable  strength  and  force  of  charactei".  Mrs.  Allen, 
who  has  a  leading  social  position  in  Xew  York,  is  an  ex- 
ceedingly handsome  M-oman,  Avith  fine  form  and  features 
and  beautiful  gray  hair.  Her  expression  strongly  resem- 
bles that  of  the  Commodore.  Mrs.  Torrance  is  also  a 
striking  and  attractive  woman.  Two  of  her  sons  are 
prominent  in  Parisian  society,  and  one  married  Miss  An- 
thony, who  was  soon  divorced  from  him,  and  married  Mr. 
Frederick  Yanderbilt,  her  cousin.  Her  daughter  mar- 
ried Mr.  Meredith.  Howland,  a  member  of  the  old  New 
York  family  of  that  name.     Mrs.  AY.  K.  Thorn  is  very 


WILLIAM    11.' S    SISTKRS.  179 

well  known  in  Afurrav  Hill  society.  Her  eldest  (laughter 
married  first  Mr.  King,  and  on  his  death,  Mr.  Daniel 
Parrish.  Mrs.  Parrish's  daughter,  Miss  King,  -was  re- 
cently married  to  Mr.  Alexander  Baring,  son  of  a  mem- 
ber of  the  celebrated  banking  firm  of  Baring  Brothers. 
Mrs.  Thorn's  second  daughter.  Miss  Lena  Thorn,  was  for 
some  years  a  great  belle  in  New  York  society,  and  re- 
cently married  Mr.  Gustave  Kissell. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt's  third  sister,  Mrs.  Osgood,  is  widow 
of  the  millionaire  yachtsman  George  Osgood,  wdio  was 
the  owner  of  the  famous  yacht  Fleet  wing.  Mrs.  La- 
Bau,  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  fourth  sister,  who  at  the  death 
of  her  first  husband  married  a  Mr.  Berger,  has  three 
daughters,  and  is  now  living  abroad.  She  is  well  remem- 
bered from  her  contest  of  her  father's  will.  Mrs.  La- 
fitte  left  a  daugliter  who  died  unmarried.  Her  second 
husband  is  also  dead.  The  death  abroad  of  Mr.  Robert 
iS'iven,  who  was  the  second  Imsband  of  Mrs.  Horace 
Clark,  the  fifth  daughter  of  the  Commodore,  was 
announced  a  few  weeks  ago.  Mrs.  Clark  had  a  daughter 
by  her  fii'st  husband  who  married  Mr.  Clarence  Collins, 
from  whom  she  was  soon  divorced.  She  afterward 
married  an  Englishman,  and  is  now  living  in  England. 
An  invalid  sister  died  unmarried  on  Staten  Island  a  few 
years  since. 

These  five  sisters  of  Mr.  AYilliam  H.  Vanderbilt  are 
all  of  them  wealthy  in  their  own  right,  while  some  of 
them  married  exceedingly  rich  men.  Mrs.  Allen,  Mrs. 
Torrance,  Mrs.  Thorn,  and  Mrs.  Osgood  are  probaijly 
the  richest,  Mrs.  Osgood  having  been  left  a  foi'tnne  by  her 
late  husband  of  some  two  or  three  millions. 

But  it  is  with  the  immediate  family  of  Mr.  Yander- 


180  THE    YANDERBILTS. 

bilt  himself  that  tins  volume  has  most  to  do.  So  fre- 
quently are  their  names  mentioned  in  the  public  press, 
so  prominent  have  they  become  by  reason  of  the  great 
wealth  that  is  now  theirs,  and  so  greatly  will  their  lives, 
their  personality,  and  their  daily  doings  continue  to  be 
of  public  interest,  that  some  description  of  their  personal 
appearance  and  cliaracteristics  may  serve  to  dispel  many 
confused  ideas  regarding  them. 

Mrs.  William  H.  Yanderbilt  is  rather  slight  of  figure 
and  of  medium  height,  has  dark  hair,  hardly  as  yet 
tinged  with  gray,  dark  hazel  eyes,  and  a  very  sweet  and 
refined  expression.  Exceedingly  simple  in  her  mode  of 
life  she  rises  early,  devotes  several  hours  to  her  household 
duties,  and  afterward  visits  some  of  her  grandchildren 
or  has  them  brought  to  see  lier.  She  generally  drives  in 
the  Park  in  the  afternoon,  accompanied  by  one  of  her 
daughters,  and  after  a  quiet  family  dinner  and  evening 
chat  with  her  friends  retires  at  an  early  hour.  She  is 
regular  in  her  attendance  at  church,  and  faithful  to 
charitable  duties.  Her  name  does  not  appear  promi- 
nently in  the  list  of  the  leading  charities,  although  she 
contributes  largely  to  them  in  a  quiet  manner,  and  gen- 
erally requests  that  her  name  should  not  be  mentioned 
with  these  contributions.  Comparatively  few  persons 
know  her  intimately,  although  her  circle  of  formal  ac- 
quaintances is  necessarily  a  large  one.  She  is  exceed- 
ingly constant  to  her  friends,  and  has  especial  affection 
for  those  of  her  early  married  life.  She  has  never  cared 
for  society  :  devoted  to  her  children  and  to  her  home  it 
has  been  only  on  account  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Seward 
AVebb,  that  she  has  entertained  at  all  during  the  past 
five  years.     Since  she  has  had  so  handsome  a  home  in 


"avoid  adventurers."  181 

New  York,  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  has  never  cared  to  assuine 
the  cliarge  of  a  country-house  in  summer,  and  with  her 
husband  has  spent  the  warm  months  at  Sharon  Springs 
and  Saratoga,  returning  to  the  city  early  in  the  au- 
tumn. 

Mrs.  Yanderbilt  has  three  brothers  residing  in  Brook- 
lyn. They  are  Benjamin  P.  Ivissam,  who  lives  at  73 
First  Place  ;  Samuel  II.  Ivissam,  of  240  Carroll  Street, 
senior  partner  of  the  banking  house  of  Kissam,  Whitney 
&  Co.,  11  Broad  Street, Xew  York,  and  Peter  R.  Kissam, 
of  76  First  Place,  who  is  a  banker  at  19  New  Street, 
New  York.  They  are  the  children  of  the  Eev.  Samuel 
Kissam,  who  died  in  Brooklyn  in  1869.  He  was  a 
minister  of  the  Dutch  Peformed  Church,  and  occasion- 
ally preached  in  Brooklyn,  but  had  no  charge.  Before 
going  to  reside  in  Brooklyn  he  lived  at  Cedar  Hill,  near 
Albany,  of  which  place  he  was  a  native,  and  where  he 
preached  for  about  twenty-live  years. 

"  Our  money  doesn't  make  us  any  better  than  any- 
body else,"  is  a  maxim  on  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
II.  Yanderbilt  always  insisted.  So  they  did  not  try  to 
dictate  to  their  children  in  regard  to  their  marriages, 
except  to  insist  that  the  spouses  should  be  honest  and 
decent.  They  sedulously  avoided  those  preposterous 
misalliances  which  are  often  made  in  our  wealthy  fami- 
lies. They  kept  foreign  noblemen  at  arms-length. 
"Avoid  all  pretenders  and  people  who  put  on  airs,"  Mr. 
Yanderbilt  used  to  say  to  his  children.  "  Avoid  ad- 
venturers and  humbugs  of  e\ery  sort.  Don't  be  fooled 
by  appearances.  We  have  money  enough  for  ourselves 
and  for  the  husbands  and  wives  you  will  marry,  but  we 
haven't  respectability  enough,  for  no  family  has  any 


182  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

to  lend."  So  all  the  children  seem  to  have  married 
sensibly. 

The  New  York  World  &a.y&:  "The  most  interesting 
feature  of  the  democratic  side  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  char- 
acter, however,  is  illustrated  in  the  marriage  of  his 
children.  His  sons  all  have  honest  American  Mdves  ; 
his  daughters  all  have  plain,  unpretending  American 
husbands.  There  has  been  no  attempt  on  either  side  to 
connect  titles  with  the  family  name  by  means  of  a 
wedding-ring.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  have  not  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  the  American  aristocracy  of  wealth, 
and  put  their  daughters  up  at  auction  to  be  bid  for  by 
seedy  and  needy  European  titles.  Their  boys  and  girls 
have  fallen  in  love  and  been  married  like  the  boys  and 
girls  of  any  honest  American  mechanic.  For  this  both 
father  and  mother  are  entitled  to  credit." 

Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  the  eldest  son,  the  present  head 
of  the  house,  to  whom  his  father  left  a  fortune  of  $G2,- 
000,000,  is  now  forty  years* of  age.  lie  is  of  medium 
height,  M'ell-built,  with  an  open,  frank  countenance, 
framed  by  dark  whiskers,  and  has  a  clear,  rosy  complex- 
ion. Ilis  hair  is  brown  and  he  has  the  steely  gray  eyes 
of  the  Commodore.  He  received  a  very  thorough  edu- 
cation from  tutors  and  at  private  schools,  and  his  habits 
of  life  have  alwa^'S  been  most  correct.  He  is  greatly 
interested  in  charitable  matters,  and  is  much  liked  both 
in  business  and  society.  He  married  about  twelve  years 
ago  Miss  Alice  Gwinn,  of  Cincinnati,  and  they  have  four 
children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  of  whom  the  eldest 
son  is  named  Cornelius,  and  was  left  a  special  bequest  of 
$2,000,000  by  his  grandfather.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  resides 
in  a  beautiful  house  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth 


THE   VANDERBILT   BROTHERS.  183 

Avemie  and  Fifty-seventh  Street,  the  interior  decorations 
and  furnishings  of  whicli  surpass  in  some  ways  even  those 
of  his  father's  palace  further  down  the  avenue.  Mrs. 
Cornelius  Yanderhilt  is  very  petite,  with  a  rather  pretty 
face,  not  exactly  handsome,  whose  chief  charm  is  a  most 
gracious  and  winning  smile.  She  is  thoroughly  domestic 
in  her  tastes,  and  while  not  averse  to  society  does  not 
care  mucli  for  it.  Her  manners  ^re  simple  and  unaf- 
fected, and  she  possesses  much  quiet  dignity,  and  is  an 
affectionate,  devoted,  and  loyal  wife.  Some  of  her  cos- 
tames  show  remarkable  taste  and  have  been  greatly  ad- 
mired. j\Ii'.  Yanderbilt's  summer  home  for  some  sea- 
sons past  has  been  at  Xewport,  and  his  recent  purchase 
thereof  Mr.  Pierre  Lorillard's  magnificent countrj' -seat, 
''  The  Breakers,''  will  probably  insure  the  permanent 
location  of  himself  and  family  there  during  the  warm 
months. 

William  Kissam  Vanderbilt,  the  second  son  of  the 
late  millionaire,  is  about  thirty-six  years  of  age,  stoutly- 
built  and  inclined  to  corpulency.  His  face  is  an  open, 
full  one,  framed  in  English  whiskers,  and  his  complexion 
is  ruddy  and  high-colored.  He  is  what  would  be  called 
a  handsome  man,  and  his  figure  was,  until  the  last  f^v 
years,  a  decidedly  athletic  one.  He  is  fond  of  horses, 
although  not  so  much  as  his  fatlier,  or  the  late  Commo- 
dore. He  may  often  be  seen  driving  a  fleet  pair  of 
roadsters  on  the  macadamized  avenues  that  surround  his 
country-place  at  Islip,  and  he  indulges  in  yachting  at 
times.  As  a  man  he  is  less  popular  with  his  fellows 
and  associates  than  any  of  his  brothers.  He  is  of  a 
somewhat  morose  disposition,  but  his  wife  thoroughly 
understands  him,  and  he  is  greatly  dependent  upon  her 


184  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

strong  character  and  will-power.  In  1875  lie  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Alva  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Smith,  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  Savannah,  and  later  of  Xew  York 
City.  Somewhat  grave  and  reserved  in  temperament, 
and  consequently  not  particularly  fond  of  society,  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  has  been  induced  to  go  out  more  or  less  by 
his  wife,  who  is  an  accomplished  woman  of  the  world, 
and  devoted  to  gayet_f.  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Yanderbilt  reside 
in  winter  in  a  white  marble  house,  built  in  the  style  of 
an  old  French  chateau,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Fifty-second  Street,  while  in  the  summer 
they  occupy  a  beautiful  country-house  near  Islip,  L.  I. 
They  have  three  children,  w^ho  are  all  still  quite  young. 
Mrs.  Vanderbilt,  with  her  sisters.  Miss  Amide,  Miss 
Jennie  (now  Mrs.  Fernando  Yznaga),  and  Miss  Mimi 
Smith,  are  all  well  known  in  New  Y'ork  society.  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt  is  tall  and  slight,  and  is  neither  a  blonde 
nor  a  brunette,  while  her  hair,  although  she  is  a  young 
woman,  is  tinged  with  gray.  Her  conversational  pow- 
ers are  rather  remarkable.  She  is  quick  at  repartee, 
witty,  and  somewhat  sarcastic,  and  this  has  made  her 
much  admired  and  to  some  extent  feared  in  society. 
Iler  intimacy  with  Lady  Mandeville,  formerly  Miss 
Consuela  Yznaga,  has  been  of  long  standing. 

Mr.  Frederick  W.  Vanderbilt,  the  third  son,  now 
about  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  is  of  medium  height, 
lias  a  somewhat  spare  figure,  with  slightly  reddish  hair 
and  small  mustache,  and  rather  sallow  complexion.  lie 
is  passionately  devoted  to  yachting,  and  finds  his  chief 
pleasure  in  outdoor  sports,  caring  little  or  nothing  for 
society.  His  fine  steam  yacht,  Vidette,  is  one  of  the 
fleetest  and  most  elegant  in  every  appointment  in  the 


FIIEDEIIICK    W.    VANDPDUBILT.  185 

flotilla  of  the  American  Yacht  Cluh.  He  is  considered 
by  his  associates  a  thoroughly  good  fellow,  entirely  de- 
void of  any  snobbishness  or  nonsense.  His  business 
habits  are  good,  and  he  is  looked  upon  as  an  able  and 
safe  financier.  His  office  is  in  the  Grand  Central  Depot, 
and  he  has  cliarge  of  the  interests  of  the  Kickel  Plate 
Road.  Very  popular  among  his  employes,  he  is  gen- 
erally known  as  Mr.  Fred. 

His  marriage  was  something  of  a  romance.  In  the 
early  part  of  this  chapter  mention  has  been  made  among 
the  sisters  of  William  II.  Yanderbilt  of  Mrs.  Torrance, 
and  it  was  stated  that  one  of  her  sons  married  a  Miss 
Anthony,  of  Rhode  Island,  a  relative  of  the  late  Senator 
Anthony.  She  lived  with  him  but  six  months,  and  then 
obtained  a  divorce  on  the  grounds  of  desertion.  Mr. 
Frederick  Vanderbilt  immediately  became  an  ardent 
suitor  for  her  hand,  and  a  year  afterward  married  her, 
greatly  against  the  wishes  of  his  father  and  mother,  who 
were  not  reconciled  to  the  match  for  some  time.  The 
young  couple  lived  for  months  after  their  marriage  in  an 
apartment  house  at  Park  Aveiuie  and  Fortieth  Street, 
but  on  the  completion  of  the  Yanderbilt  palaces,  Mr. 
Vanderbilt,  Sr,,  who  had  meanwliile  become  not  only  rec- 
onciled but  devoted  to  his  daughter-in-law,  presented 
the  young  couple  with  his  old  house  at  Fifth  Avenue 
and  Fortieth  Street.  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  is  herself  fond  of 
society,  and  last  winter  entertained  considerably,  giving 
several  handsome  receptions  ;  but  her  husband's  aversion 
to  the  gay  world  keeps  her  at  home  a  great  deal. 

The  youngest  and  only  unmarried  son  is  George  W., 
now  about  twenty-three  years  of  age.  Pie  is  undersized, 
of  rather  frail  physique,  and  somewhat  thin  and  pale,  but 


186  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

he  is  not  in  as  delicate  health  as  his  appearance  would 
indicate.  The  student  and  litteratenr  of  the  family,  he 
spends  much  of  his  time  with  his  books,  and  delights  in 
delving  among  must}'  tomes  in  old  second-hand  book- 
stores. Pie  has  a  large  and  complete  library  of  his  own 
on  the  second  floor  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  palace,  and  by 
his  father's  death  becomes  virtually  the  manager  and 
head  of  this  house.  He  takes  great  pride  and  delight 
in  the  art  gallery,  and  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
history  of  the  paintings  and  the  distinguishing  character- 
istics of  the  artists.  Devoted  to  music,  he  is  an  al- 
most nightly  attendant  at  the  opera.  The  child  of  his 
father's  mature  age,  he  was  always  his  favorite  and  con- 
stant companion,  entering  into  all  his  plans,  and  sharing 
all  his  hopes  and  fears.  It  is  understood  that  his  father 
had  very  ambitious  views  for  him  in  a  litei-ary  way,  as 
some  writings  of  his  evinced  much  promise.  Shortly 
before  his  father's  death  he  was  given  almost  all  the 
Staten  Island  family  propert}-,  and  Staten  Islanders 
look  to  him  M'ith  hope  as  a  future  and  liberal  patron. 
George  Vanderbilt  is  by  no  means  an  avaricious  man, 
and  does  much  good  in  an  unostentatious  Nvay.  The 
$1,000,000  that  the  old  Connnodore  left  him  was 
doubled  by  his  father  and  presented  to  him  on  his 
twenty-first  birthday.  The  portrait  we  present  was 
taken  five  years  ago,  but  he  has  an  aversion  for  the 
photographer,  and  declines  to  have  any  more  taken. 

The  daughters  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt  are  Mrs.  Elliott  F, 
Shepard,  formerly  Miss  Margaret  Vanderbilt ;  Mrs. 
William  D.  Sloane,  formerly  Miss  Emily  Vanderbilt ; 
Mrs.  II.  McKay  Twombly,  formerly  Miss  Florence 
Vanderbilt,  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Seward  Webb,  formerly  Miss 


MR.  YANDERBILT  S   DAUGHTERS.  187 

Eliza  Yanderbilt.  Mrs.  Sliepard  is  the  eldest  of  the 
daughters,  and  was  in  Europe  with  her  husband  and 
children  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death.  She  is  tall 
and  dark,  and  while  not  handsome  has  a  very  agreeable 
face.  Her  family  consists  of  three  daughters  and  one 
son,  of  whom  the  eldest  is  now  about  fifteen  years  of 
age.  These  children  have  been  admirably  educated,  and 
liave  been  brought  up  in  princely  style,  having  tutors 
and  governesses  by  the  dozen.  While  in  Europe  they 
travelled  with  as  much  ceremony  and  privacy  as  would  a 
royal  family,  and  never  dined  at  the  table  d'hote  in  any 
hotel.  Mrs.  Shepard  is  a  thorough  Yanderbilt  in  her 
domestic  tastes,  and  rarely  goes  into  society,  except  to 
dinners,  where  her  husband's  professional  position  makes 
attendance  necessary. 

Tlie  second  daughter,  Miss  Emily  Yanderbilt,  to 
M'hom  Mr.  Yanderbilt  left  the  upper  one  of  the  two 
Fifth  x\ venue  palaces,  married  about  fourteen  years  ago 
Mr.  William  D.  Sloane,  one  of  the  members  of  the  large 
carpet  firm.  She  has  a  family  of  .several  young  children, 
to  whom  she  is  greatly  devoted.  In  appearance  she  is 
tall  and  frail-lookino-  with  lio-ht  hair,  auburn  in  tingle. 
Mrs.  Sloane's  chief  diversion  is  the  opera.  As  this 
book  goes  into  type  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sloane  offer  to  build 
and  endow  a  Maternity  Hospital  in  connection  with  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  the  offer  is  ac- 
cepted. It  will  be  located  between  Xinth  and  Tenth 
Avenues,  on  Sixtieth  Street,  and  will  cost  with  the  en- 
dowment about  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 

The  third  daughter,  Miss  Florence  Yanderbilt,  now 
Mrs.  Hamilton  McKay  Twombly,  was  married  in  1879. 
She  is  a  brunette  of  medium  height,  and  by  many  con- 


188  THE   YAISTDERBILTS. 

sidered  tlie  handsomest  of  the  women  of  the  family.  Her 
marriage  was  a  good  one,  and  met  with  Mr.  Yanderbilt's 
warmest  approvah  Indeed  Mr.  Twombly  was  from  the 
beginning  his  favorite  son-in-law\  He  leaned  upon  him, 
and  relied  greatly  upon  his  business  judgment  and  abil- 
ity. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Twombly  occupy  a  house  built  for 
the  latter  by  lier  father  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty-fourth 
Street,  and  its  interior  decorations  and  furnishings  are 
surpassed  only  by  those  in  the  houses  of  her  brother 
Cornelius  and  lier  father. 

Miss  Eliza,  or  "  Lelia"  Yanderbilt,  as  she  is  familiarly 
known,  has  been  married  three  years  to  Dr.  Seward 
Webb,  a  son  of  the  late  General  James  Watson  Webb. 
The  courtship  was  a  long  and  romantic  one.  Mr.  Yan- 
derbilt never  looked  with  favor  upon  it,  and  it  was  only 
after  the  most  determined  persistence  on  the  part  of  the 
young  people  that  he  consented  to  it.  After  their  mar- 
riage, following  his  usual  custom,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  aided 
Dr.  Webb  in  every  way,  and  finally  persuaded  him  to 
abandon  liis  precarious  profession  and  become  president 
of  the  Wagner  Sleeping-car  Company.  The  marri- 
age thus  far  has  been  a  happy  one.  It  is  a  pi-oof  of 
old  prejudice,  however,  that  Mr.  Yanderbilt's  will  pro- 
vided that  Mrs.  Webb  should  not  obtain  control  of 
the  $10,000,000  left  her  until  she  Avas  thirty  years  of 
age.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Webb  occupy  the  house  on  Fifth 
Avenue  next  to  Mrs.  Twombly's.  In  appearance  Mrs. 
Webb  is  shoi-t  and  dark,  and  has  a  decidedly  inter- 
esting and  pretty  face.  She  went  a  good  deal  into 
society  before  her  marriage,  but  since  that  time  has  led 
rather  a  quiet  life. 

These  are  the  children  of  the  two-hundred-milliou- 


THE   millionaire's   CHILDREN'.  189 

millionaire,  and  such  are  their  individual  appearances  and 
characteristics.  As  has  doubtless  been  noticed,  they  are 
all,  botli  sons  and  daughters,  strongly  domestic  in  their 
tastes.  This  is  all  the  more  strange  as  they  are  possessed 
of  vast  wealth  which  would  so  easily  enable  them  to 
shine  as  society  leaders.  But  perhaps  they  have  found 
out,  what  many  even  younger  than  they  are  knoM^,  that 
there  is  not  on  earth  a  more  hollow  and  profitless  and 
tiresome  relation  in  which  intelligent  human  beings  can 
mingle  than  that  which  is  called  modern  society.  They 
are  all  well-informed,  and  abreast  of  the  best  thought 
and  aspiration  of  the  age.  The  excellent  education  and 
bringing-up  that  they  have  received  is  well  attested  by 
the  fact  that  there  is  not  one  among  them  who  seems  to 
have  done  anything  "  oif  color,"  a  rare  concurrence  of 
merit  in  so  large  a  family  in  these  lively  days.  They 
are  affectionate  and  devoted  to  their  mother  and  to  each 
other,  and  constitute  in  every  respect  an  exemplary 
family. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


SOCIAL   POSITION. 


What  is  Good  Society  ? — Our  Plutocracy — Mrs.  W.  K.  Vanderbilt's 
Great  Ball — Preparations — The  Guests — The  Costumes — The 
Display. 

There  lias  always  been  some  sort  of  aristocracy  on 
earth,  and  never,  save  in  the  case  of  Arthur's  mythical 
Round-Table,  has  it  been  composed  of  the  most  worthy 
people  of  a  community.  An  ideal  aristocracy  should 
be  a  classifying  of  the  noblest,  most  self-denying,  and 
most  helpful  men,  and  the  most  generous  and  refined 
women,  and  they  would  be  so  modest  as  to  be  quite  un- 
conscious of  their  pre-eminence.  The  aristocracy  of  the 
old  world  is  mostly  composed  of  families  who  have  at- 
tained their  prominence,  either  recently  or  remotely,  by 
successful  pillage;  and  their coats-of-arnisai"e  mei'ely  the 
pictures  of  the  castles,  banners,  and  weapons  by  the  skill- 
ful use  of  which  they  won  their  wealth  and  rank. 

American  aristocracy  has  a  different  basis.  Civiliza- 
tion had  taken  such  deep  root  when  the  country  was 
founded  that  brio-andao-e  had  become  unfashionable. 
Even  the  most  gallant  pirates  were  considered  disreputa- 
ble ;  and  Robert  Kidd,  instead  of  being  given  a  dukedom, 
as  he  would  liave  been  in  England  three  centuries  ear- 
lier, perished   miserably  and   in  disgrace.     So  in  this 


WHAT   IS    SOCIETY  ?  191 

country  arisloci'acy  lias,  bv  a  tacit  nndcrstaiiding,  come 
to  be  founded  on  money  rather  tlian  on  war.  Yet  it  is 
not  the  making  of  money,  as  one  would  suppose,  that  is 
considered  honorable  and  meritorious,  but  the  possession 
of  money  which  somebody  else  made. 

It  is  chiefly  the  inheritors  of  wealth,  not  tiie  accumula- 
tors, who  are  the  artiflcial  social  leaders.  When  Corne- 
lius Yanderbilt  was  born,  John  Jacob  Astor  was  a 
baker's  errand-boy  on  the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Frank- 
fort Streets,  and  he  spent  most  of  his  time  as  an  itiner- 
ant vender  of  bread  and  doughnuts,  peddling  the  baking 
from  door  to  door  in  a  basket,  Peter  Lorillard  had  not 
yet  built  his  little  snuff-factory  on  the  Bronx,  A  patii- 
cian,  in  this  country,  is  any  man  of  good  manners  and 
out  of  jail,  whose  plebeian  father  made  money  enough 
for  him  to  live  on. 

jSTew  York  society  has  become  of  late  years  so  essen- 
tially a  plutocracy,  or  aristocracy  of  wealth,  that  very 
naturally  the  Yanderbilts,  with  their  enormous  posses- 
sions, have  come  to  be  looked  upon  by  the  world  at  large 
as  leaders  of  the  Metropolitan  society  world.  That  they 
could  have  become  so  by  the  least  effort  on  their  part 
several  years  ago  admits  of  not  the  slightest  doubt,  and 
that  they  are  not  so  to-day  M'ill  be  generally  received 
with  a  feeling  of  incredulity.  Yet  such  is  the  case. 
With  the  single  exception  of  Mrs,  AYilliam  K.  Yander- 
bilt,  who  was  a  leading  society  belle  befoi'e  she  married, 
the  Yanderbilt  women  have  during  the  last  five  years 
been  rarely  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  winters' 
leading  entertainments,  and  their  names  are  not  found 
as  often  in  the  public  prints  as  patronesses  of  this  or 
that  ball,  I'out  or  party,  as  those  of  Mrs.  Astor,  Mrs. 


192  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

Ijelmont,  Mrs.  Iselin,  Mrs.  Scliuvler,  and  a  score  of 
others.  This  is  due  to  the  reasons  given  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters.  All  the  daughters  of  the  house  as 
well  as  the  sons,  and  daughters-  and  sons-in-law,  with  the 
one  exception  of  Mrs.  William  K.  Yanderbilt,  are  such 
lovers  of  home  that  the  gay  world  has  little  or  no  attrac- 
tion for  them. 

By  the  curious  custom  and  tradition  by  which  the 
society  world  decides  that  the  children  of  the  millionaire 
of  1850  are  much  further  advanced  in  the  social  scale 
than  the  children  of  the  millionaire  of  1880,  the  Astors, 
Belmonts,  and  other  leading  families  have  assumed  to 
take  precedence  of  the  Yanderbilts.  They  can  do  so  no 
longer,  even  according  to  their  own  flimsy  law  of  supe- 
riority, as  the  death  of  the  millionaire  father  admits  his 
children  into  the  ranks  of  the  social  leaders  of  the 
metropolis.  Thoroughly  qualified  and  thoroughly  com- 
petent to  assume  this  position  they  are  in  every  way. 
Well  educated,  with  polished  manners,  and  all  the  refine- 
ment that  wealth,  luxury,  and  beautiful  and  artistic  sur- 
roundings can  give,  their  homes  palaces,  their  business 
sway  powerful  and  extensive,  they  bid  fair  to  place  them- 
selves at  the  head  of  our  untitled  social  nobility. 

Tlie  Yanderbilts  obtained  their  first  secure  foothold 
in  Xew  York's  leading  society  by  the  great  fancy-di"ess 
ball  given  by  Mrs.  William  K.  Yanderbilt  in  her  beauti- 
ful house  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty-third  Street  on  the 
evening  of  March  26, 1883,  which  was  an  event  never  be- 
fore equaled  in  the  social  annals  of  the  metropolis,  and 
one  that  interested  the  whole  country.  It  is  impossible 
to  give  here  more  than  a  brief  outline  of  this  truly  mar- 
velous entertainment,  which  surpassed  in  splendoi-,  iii 


rnTflSJWTTTTS     VAfMr>TH".TJTiTT.T's      TJF.STDKNnF.. 


CORNELIUS    VANDEHUILT   ^ND    WIFE    IN    FANCY   BALL   COSTUME. 


THE   GREAT   FAKCY-DRESS   BALL.  193 

beaut}',  in  brilliancy,  and  in  Inxnrioiis  and  lavish  expense 
any  scene  before  witnessed  in  the  new  world. 

For  weeks  beforehand  the  costnmers,  milliners,  and 
dressmakers,  not  only  of  Kew  Yoi'k,  but  of  all  the  larger 
eastern  cities,  were  engaged  in  preparing  the  richest 
and  most  varied  of  garments  for  this  wonderful  enter- 
tainment. Histories,  novels,  and  illustrated  books  of  all 
periods  were  ransacked  by  the  expectant  guests  to  ob- 
tain either  suggestions  or  models  npon  which  their  own 
costumes  could  be  patterned.  All  else  was  forgotten  in 
society  during  the  forty  days  of  Lenten  penitence  which 
preceded  the  event,  and  the  most  impi'obable  and  fantas- 
tic tales  and  rumors  of  the  forthcoming  splendor  wei-e 
constantly  circulated  in  the  community.  Even  the  daily 
press  became  affected  by  the  prevailing  excitement 
which  the  ball  occasioned  in  the  atmosphere,  and  as- 
signed their  ablest  and  most  skilled  reporters  for  two 
weeks  beforehand  to  the  preparation  of  lists  of  the  cos- 
tumes of  the  guests  and  more  or  less  accurate  foreshad- 
owings  of  the  event.  In  fact  they  devoted  more  atten- 
tion to  it,  than  they  have  ever  done  before  or  since  to 
any  purelj'  social  affair. 

Although  Mrs.  AV".  II.  Yanderbilt  had  already  given 
a  ball  in  her  own  palace  which  was  largely  and  fashion- 
ably attended,  and  althougli  the  names  of  two  or  three 
of  her  daughters  and  daughters-in-law  had  already  figured 
as  patronesses  of  the  distinctive  society  balls  of  the  met- 
ropolis, two  or  three  of  the  leaders  of  Xew  York  society, 
notably  Mrs.  William  Astor,  had  never  called  upon  any 
of  the  ladies  of  the  Yanderbilt  family.  It  Avas  Lady 
Mandeville,  who  with  her  family  had  been  making  Mrs. 
W.  K.  Yanderbilt  a  visit  of  a  year,  who  first  suggested 
9 


194  THE   VAISTDEEBILTS. 

tlie  entertainment  to  her  hostess,  and  it  is  largely  due  to 
her  society  experience,  cleverness,  and  tact  that  the  ball 
was  in  every  M-ay  tlie  grandest  ever  given  on  this  con- 
tinent, and  one  which  fully  established  the  Vanderbilt 
family  as  social  leaders.  According  to  the  genei-ally  ac- 
cepted story  in  society,  soon  after  the  first  announce- 
ment of  the  ball  Miss  Carrie  Astor,  the  only  unmarried 
daughter  of  Mrs.  William  Astor,  organized  a  fancy-dress 
quadrille  to  be  danced  at  the  ball  by  sevei-al  young  ladies 
and  gentlemen.  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  heard  of  this,  and 
stated  in  the  hearing  of  some  friends  that  she  regretted 
that  she  could  not  invite  Miss  Astor  to  her  ball,  as  her 
mother  had  never  called  upon  her.  This  reached  Mrs. 
Aster's  ears,  and  soon  afterward  she  called  upon  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt  and  they  wei'e  invited.  Thus  did  the  ball 
break  the  last  barriers  down. 

The  brilliant  scene  was  well  framed  in  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  New  York  houses — the  reproduction  of  one 
of  those  fascinating  chateaux  of  the  French  renais- 
sance which  are  the  pride  of  Touraine.  Seen,  as  it  was 
on  the  night  of  this  entertainment,  under  a  blaze  of  light, 
and  kindled  into  splendor  everywhere  by  masses  of 
flowers  and  a  moving  throng  of  varied  and  magnilicent 
costumes,  it  was  the  most  fltting  fi'ame-work  an  artist 
could  have  asked  for  a  succession  of  pictui-es  so  hetero- 
2;eneous,  so  incone-rnous  in  detail,  vet  in  their  ireneral 
effect  so  dazzling  and  so  attractive.  The  guests,  on  arriv- 
ing, found  themselves  in  a  grand  hall  about  Go  feet  long, 
16  feet  in  height,  and  20  feet  in  width.  Under  their 
feet  was  a  floor  of  polished  and  luminous  marble,  and 
above  them  a  ceiling  richly  paneled  in  oak,  while  over 
a  high  wainiscoting  of    richly  carved  Caen  stone  hung 


THE   QUADRILLES.  105 

antique  Italian  tapestries.  Over  this  liall,  to  the  riglit, 
rose  a  grand  stairway  of  the  finest  Caen  stone,  carved 
Avith  superb  delicacy  and  vigor,  to  the  height  of  fifty 
feet. 

By  eleven  o'clock  the  members  of  the  six  organized 
quadrilles  assembled  in  the  gymnasium,  on  the  third  floor, 
a  beautiful  apartment,  50  feet  in  length  by  35  feet  in 
width.  These  quadrilles,  six  in  number,  comprised  in 
all  nearly  a  hundred  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and,  having 
formed  in  the  gymnasium  in  order,  they  mov^ed  in  a 
glittering  processional  pageant  down  the  grand  stairway 
and  through  the  hall  into  a  room  in  the  front  of  the 
house  fitted  and  furnished  in  the  style  of  Francis  I., 
25  feet  in  width  by  -iO  in  length,  whose  Avhole  wains- 
cotino;  of  carved  F]-ench  walnut  M'as  brouirht  from  a 
chateau  in  France,  and  whose  ceiling  was  painted  by 
Paul  Baudry.  Thence  the  pi'ocession  swept  on  into 
the  spacious  dining-hall,  which  was  converted  for  a  night 
into  a  ball-room,   and  the  dancing  began. 

The  first  cpuidrille  was  the  "  hobby  horse,"  led  by 
Mr.  J.  Y.  Parker  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Howland,  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  August  Belmont.  The  horses  took  two  months 
in  construction.  They  were  of  life-size,  covered  M'ith 
genuine  hides,  and  were  light  enough  to  be  easily  and 
comfortably  attached  to  the  waists  of  the  wearers.  The 
costumes  for  the  men  were  red  hunting-coats,  white 
satin  vests,  yellow  satin  knee-breeches,  and  white  satin 
stockings.  The  ladies  wore  red  hunting-coats  and  white 
satin  skirts,  elegantly  enibroidered.  The  other  quad- 
rilles danced  were  the  "  Mother  Goose,"  led  by  Mr. 
Oliver  Xorthcote  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  Perkins,  in  which 
the  famous  characters   of  Mother  Goose  were  person- 


196  THE   VAISTDERBILTS. 

ated;  the  "Opera  Bouffe,"  the  "  Star,"  the  "Dresden 
China,"  and  the  "  Go-as-you-please."  In  the  "  Star  " 
quadrille,  which  was  organized  by  Mrs.  William  Astor, 
the  ladies  were  arrayed  as  twin  stars,  in  yellow,  blue, 
and  white.  The  "  Dresden  China  "  quadrille,  in  which 
the  dancers  personated  those  dainty  porcelain  figures  of 
the  famous  pottery,  was  perhaps  the  most  notable  of  the 
evening,  and  even  the  photographs  in  costume  of  those 
who  appeared  in  it  are  cherished  as  household  treasures 
to-day.  The  dancers  all  wore  ivory-white  satin  costumes, 
every  appnrtenance  of  which  was  pure  M'hite  ;  their  hair 
was  powdered  and  dressed  high.  The  gentlemen  wore 
the  old  German  court  costnme  of  white  satin  knee- 
breeches  and  powdered  wigs,  while  the  two  crossed 
swords,  the  mark  of  the  Dresden  factory,  were  embroid- 
ered on  all  the  costumes. 

Among  the  hundreds  of  striking  and  unique  costumes 
only  a  very  few  can  possibly  be  noted.  Mrs.W.  K.  N^ander- 
bilt  herself  personated  a  A^enetian  princess,  as  painted  by 
Cabanel.  The  underskirt  of  her  dress  was  of  white  and 
yellow  brocade,  shading  from  the  deepest  orange  to  the 
lightest  canary,  M'hile  the  figures  of  flowers  and  leaves 
were  ontlined  in  gold  and  white  and  iridescent  beads  ; 
her  white  satin  train  was  embroidered  magnificently  in 
gold,  and  lined  with  Roman  red.  The  waist  was  of  blue 
satin  covered  with  gold  embroidery,  and  on  her  head  was 
a  Venetian  cap  covered  with  magnificent  jewels,  among 
them  a  peacock  in  many-colored  gems. 

Lady  Mandeville,  who  received  the  guests  with  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt,  wore  a  costume  copied  from  a  picture  by 
Vandyke  of  the  Princess  Marie-Claire  Decroy. 

Mr.  W.  K.    Vanderbilt  appeared  as  the  Dnke  De 


A   ROYAL   ENTERTAINMENT.  197 

Gnise  ;  Mr.  Conielins  Yaiiderbilt  as  Louis  XVI.  Mrs. 
Cornelius  Yanderbilt  went  as  the  Electric  Light,  in  white 
satin  trimmed  with  diamonds,  and  with  a  snperb  dia- 
mond head-dress.  Miss  Amide  Smith,  Mrs.  ^'anderbilt's 
sister,  came  as  a  peacock,  in  a  dazzling  costume  of  pea- 
cock-blue satin,  and  Mrs.  Seward  Webb,  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt's  sister,  as  a  hornet,  with  a  brilliant  Avaist  of  yellow 
satin  with  a  brown  velvet  skirt  and  brown  gauze  wings. 
Other  notable  costumes  were  those  worn  by  Miss  AVork, 
as  Joan  of  Arc;  by  Miss  Edith  Fish,  as  Marie  Antoinette  ; 
by  Miss  Turnure,  as  an  Egyptian  Princess,  and  by  Mrs. 
Bradley  Martin,  as  Marie  Stuart.  The  Due  du  Morny 
wore  a  court  dress ;  Madam  Christine  Xilsson  a  mourn- 
ing costume  of  the  time  of  Henry  HI. ;  Mrs.  Pierre 
Lorillard  appeared  as  a  Phoenix,  and  Mr.  Hurlburt  as  a 
Spanish  knight. 

It  was  a  royal  entertainment,  which  had  never  before 
been  equaled  in  the  social  annals  of  America,  and  which 
it  is  probable  will  not  be  surpassed  for  many  years  to 
come.  It  was  the  wonder  not  only  of  the  year  but  of 
the  decade,  and  the  Yanderbilt  ball  will  be  remembered 
when  other  events  much  greater  in  their  significance 
and  in  their  bearing  ou  the  time  have  been  quite  for- 
gotten. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

HORSES   AND   STABLES 

Love  for  Horses— Fondness  for  Fast  Teams— Excellent  Amateur 
Driver— Perils  of  the  Road— Maud  S.— Summer  Recreation  — 
The  Derby— His  Stables — Resigns  the  Reins. 

William  II.  Vanderbilt  really  loved  his  horses.  He 
not  only  admired  their  performances,  as  his  father  did, 
and  liked  them  because  they  enabled  him  to  go  ahead 
of  other  people's  horses,  but  he  felt  and  showed  a  warm 
interest  in  other  qualities  besides  their  fleetness — in 
their  beauty,  docility,  and  affectionate  disposition.  Un- 
like his  father,  he  was  fond  of  petting  and  handling  his 
horses,  and  while  on  Staten  Island  he  usually  insisted  on 
taking  care  of  the  horses  himself. 

His  penchant  for  fast  horses  increased  after  he  moved 
to  New  York.  It  was  not  until  about  1865  that  he  rode 
behind  a  really  fast  horse,  although  at  that  time  he 
owned  a  fair  pair  of  his  own  which  could  make  a  mile 
in  three  minutes.  At  that  time  there  was  a  private 
driving-club  near  Macomb's  Dam  Bridge,  on  the  upper 
end  of  Manhattan  Island,  frequented  by  such  men  as 
Commodore  Vanderbilt,  Ilobert  Bonner,  and  Colonel 
John  Harper.  Mr.  Bonner  was  the  owner  of  the  mare 
Peerless,  and  noticing  that  Mr.  Yanderbilt  seemed  in- 
terested in  her,   he   invited    him    to    drive    round    the 


FAST   TEAMS.  100 

track.  He  was  astonished  at  lier  speed,  and  fiom 
that  day  manifested  a  growing  desire  to  possess  good 
horses. 

Before  his  father's  death  he  made  no  pretence  of 
being  one  of  tlie  leaders  on  the  road,  but  was  content  to 
ride  behind  horses  of  considerable  speed.  The  highest 
price  ever  paid  by  the  Cominodoi-e  for  a  horse  was 
$10,000,  for  Mountain  Boy.  A  year  before  he  died  he 
bought  a  fast  horse  named  Small  Hopes,  and  this  fine 
animal  he  left  to  his  son  and  heir. 

After  the  death  of  the  Commodore,  Mr.  AVilliam  11. 
Yanderbilt  took  his  father's  place  on  the  road.  He 
bought  Lady  Mac,  to  match  with  Small  Hopes,  and 
astonished  the  trotting  public  by  driving  the  team  to  a 
top  road-wagon  a  mile  over  the  Fleetwood  Park  course 
in  2.23^.  This  was  about  the  beginning  of  the  craze 
for  fast  teams. 

Other  men  pnrchased  fast  teams  to  compete  with  Mr. 
Vanderbilt,  and  the  excitement  on  the  bonlevards  and 
avenues  above  Central  Park,  and  on  the  Fleetwood 
track  was  unprecedented.  Among  the  most  notable  of 
these  was  Edward  and  Dick  Swiveller,  driven  by  Mr. 
Frank  Work,  the  most  persistent  and  formidable  rival 
Mr.  Yanderbilt  had  on  the  road  ;  Blondine  and  Mill 
Boy,  Maxey  Cobb  and  Xeta  Medium.  Mr,  Yanderbilt 
soon  discovered  that  his  team.  Small  Hopes  and  Lady 
Mac,  would  not  be  able  to  maintain  his  prestige  on  the 
road,  and  he  secui-ed  another  team  composed  of  the  bay 
mare,  Aldine,  and  the  chestnut  mare,  Early  Hose.  This 
was  in  1SS2.  The  team  was  driven  in  Hartford,  Ct., 
a  mile  in  2.1 6A-.  Shortly  after  this  Mr.  Work's  famous 
team  beat  the  record,   and  great  was  the  excitement 


200  THE    VA]^TDERBILTS. 

among  tlie  road  men.  Mr.  Yanderbilt  now  determined 
to  be  his  rival  for  the  team  record. 

Maud  S.  had  made  her  appearance  in  Kentucky,  and 
was  developing  great  speed.  "VVlien  the  mare  was  but 
fonr  years  old  Mr.  Yanderbilt  offered  to  give  §20,000 
for  her  if  she  would  show  a  mile  in  public  in  2.20.  The 
trial  was  made  in  October  of  that  year  at  Lexington, 
where  she  made  a  record  of  2.17|^.  Mr.  Yanderbilt 
then  gave  $21,000,  the  extra  thousand  going  to  lier 
driver. 

On  June  14,  1883,  over  the  Fleetwood  track,  Mr. 
Yanderbilt  took  his  fastest  wagon-ride,  behind  Aldine 
and  Maud  S.,  a  mile  in  2.15i^.  The  road-wagon,  with 
Mr.  Yanderbilt,  weighed  nearly  four  hundred  pounds. 
This  performance  has  not  been  equaled  by  any  team.  Xo 
professional  driver  even  ever  drove  a  team  as  fast  as  that. 
Tie  seemed,  in  driving,  to  have  a  special  control  of  his 
horses.  When  his  friends  were  congratulating  him  upon 
the  result,  lie  quietly  replied  :  "  It  is  pretty  good  for 
an  amateur."  lie  wanted  his  horses  to  be  fast,  was  al- 
ways anxious  to  see  what  they  could  do  and  he  treated 
them  well.  Of  late  years  he  paid  less  and  less  personal 
attention  to  the  stabling  aiid  feeding  of  his  horses. 

Having  beaten  the  record  of  his  rival,  Mr.  Work, 
Mr.  Yanderbilt  appeared  to  be  satisfied,  and  the  feeling 
between  the  two  gentlemen  subsided,  xiniong  the  other 
horses  with  excellent  records  M'hich  he  owned,  were 
Leander  and  Lysander;  Bay  Dick  and  Charles  Dickens. 

Fast  driving  has  its  perils,  especially  in  the  crowded 
thoroughfares  of  a  great  metropolis,  and  Mr.  Yander- 
bilt experienced  his  share.  On  Kovember  7,  1878, 
while    he    was    speeding    along    Jerome    Avenue   at 


TWO    ACCIDENTS.  201 

tlie  rate  of  a  mile  in  2.-i0  his  team  knocked  down  and 
fatally  injured  a  man  named  Ililey,  In  giving  an  ac- 
count of  the  accident  afterward  Mr.  Vanderbilt  said  : 

"  On  pleasant  afternoons  from  hfty  to  a  hundred 
gentlemen  congregate  on  Judge  Smith's  stoop  to  witness 
the  driving  of  fast  horses  on  what  is  known  as  the  speed- 
ing-gronnd  of  Jerome  Avenue.  I  wasdriving  along  on  the 
afternoon  of  November  7th,  when,  after  coming  around 
a  turn  in  the  road,  I  saw  a  man  about  sixty  feet  ahead 
of  me  and  about  twenty -five  feet  from  the  gutter.  I  at 
once  shouted  to  him,  being  scared  at  seeing  him  so  near 
in  front  of  me.  lie  hesitated  and  seemed  confused. 
Although  I  tried  my  best  to  pull  up  my  team,  it  was  too 
late,  and  my  right  horse  struck  him.  I  could  not  turn 
my  horse  out  any  further  than  1  did,  for  I  cracked  my 
wagon  in  turning  as  it  was.  When  I  stopped  my  team 
and  looked  back  I  never  had  such  a  sensation  pass  over 
me  before.  Such  an  accident  never  before  occurred  to 
me.  I  liad  him  taken  to  Judge  Smith's  hotel,  and  tried 
to  have  the  man  given  all  the  attention  possible." 

On  October  17,  1883,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  met  with  a 
severe  accident  on  tlie  track  at  Fleetwood  Park.  He  was 
driving  Maud  S.,  and  came  in  collision  with  a  sulky. 
lie  was  thrown  violently  to  the  ground,  and  for  a  while 
remained  senseless.  He  suffered  a  severe  shock,  but  no 
serious  injury.  His  first  question  on  recovering  con- 
sciousness was  to  ask  whether  the  mare  was  hurt. 

In  the  spring  he  was  at  Fleetwood  Park  nearly  every 
day,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  tbe  trials  made  there  by 
horses  belonging  to  his  friends,  or  else  speeding  his 
favorite  team.  The  pull  of  the  reins  seemed  to  inspire 
him,  and  he  appeared  his  best  when  sitting  behind 
9* 


202  THE   YAISTDERBILTS. 

Maud  S.,  or  his  trotting  team,  Aldine  and  Early  Rose,  a 
brisk  breeze  blowino;  liis  lont;:  Eno-lish  whiskers  back 
of  his  head,  a  flush  on  Iiis  good-humored  Dutch  face, 
and  a  cheery  tone  in  his  voice. 

He  always  took  his  horses  with  him  to  Saratoga  and 
Sharon  Springs,  where  he  usually  spent  the  summer 
season ;  and  every  afternoon  he  went  to  the  Lake,  and 
there  met  the  men  wnth  whom  he  loved  to  associate. 
This  daily  drive  seemed  to  be  his  greatest  delight,  and 
if  the  w^eather  prevented  he  did  not  hesitate  to  express 
his  disappointment  to  his  friends.  Like  all  classes 
of  the  English  people  he  loved  the  excitement  which 
driving  on  the  road  affords.  He  went  to  Fleetwood  be- 
cause he  liked  the  track.  He  M'as  fond  of  the  excite- 
ment of  a  pleasant  brush,  and  the  fresh  air  did  him 
good. 

He  had  a  good  deal  of  respect  for  his  horses,  and,  as 
is  well-known,  would  never  use  them  for  money -making 
pui'poses  on  the  track.  Lideed,  he  thought  so  much  of 
his  famous  Maud  S.  that  when  he  had  decided  to  sell 
her,  she  was  oifered  to  Mr.  Bonner  for  §40,000,  although 
other  men  stood  ready  to  pay  $100,000.  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt  said  at  the  time,  "  H  I  sell  her  to  the  syndicate 
the  public  will  think  I  still  own  her,  while  if  I  sell  her 
to  Robert  Bonner  it  will  be  known  that  there  is  no  col- 
lusion between  us.  Then,  she  will  never  be  trotted  for 
money,  and  will  be  sure  of  good  care."  Thereafter  he 
frequently  spoke  of  Maud  S.  with  affection  and  enthu- 
siasm. 

He  did  not  give  up  the  practice  of  driving  daily  with 
his  own  hands  until  his  health  was  impaired,  and  then 
he  would  go  out  with  a  man   in  his  employ,  who  was 


AS   A   DRIVER.  203 

careful  and  trnstworthy.  To  nse  the  words  of  Mr. 
Bonner :  "  For  one  who  had  such  varied  interests  to 
look  after,  and  naturally  could  give  but  limited  time  to 
his  horses,  he  was  an  excellent  judge  of  an  animal  and 
frequently  surprised  his  friends  by  his  intelligent  criti- 
cisms of  well-known  track  performers  that  he  liad  seen. 
In  a  word,  Mr.  Yandei'bilt  loved  liorses,  and  could  drive 
them  well.'" 

When  at  Saratoga,  in  187-1,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  clerk  at  Congress  Hall,  Matthew 
Riley,  since  a  broker  on  the  street.  Kiley  always  liked 
a  good  horse,  and  knew  something  about  horse-flesh,  so 
the  two  used  to  "  talk  horse,"  and  in  the  end  a  feeling 
of  congeniality  sprung  up,  which  ripened  into  a  friend- 
ship that  lasted  as  long  as  Mr.  Yanderbilt  lived.  Every 
afternoon,  when  the  clerk  could  get  away  fi'om  the 
hotel,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  would  come  around  with  his 
horses  and  take  him  out  for  a  drive.  Says  ^Nlr.  Riley: 
"The  minute  Mr.  Yanderbilt  got  his  hands  on  the  rib- 
bons he  left  all  care  behind  him,  just  as  Mand  S.  shows 
her  heels  to  a  common  horse.  He  was  full  of  jollity, 
and  thongli  he  did  not  often  tell  stories  himself,  he 
would  pull  up  his  flyers  as  we  jogged  along  and  listen 
with  a  relish  to  a  good  story  from  one  of  the  boys,  and 
when  it  was  good  he  had  a  hearty  laugh  for  it.  He  had 
a  wonderful  faculty  for  controlling  horses  better  than  any 
non-professional  I  ever  saw,  and  he  was,  in  my  opinion, 
the  best  double-team  driver  in  America,  amateur  or  pro- 
fessional. In  1883  we  met  every  day  on  the  road,  and 
used  to  jog  out  to  Fleetwood  and  then  race  back  down 
Seventh  Avenue  with  the  boys.  He  was  driving  at  that 
time,  among  other  horses,  Leander,  his  favorite,  and  he 


204  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

tried  to  match  him  but  conld  not.  Leander  is  a  fine 
fellow,  and  out  of  fifty-four  races  he  has  won  thirty- 
four  first  prizes.  He  is  fourteen  years  old  now,  1885, 
and  hasn't  a  blemish  on  him." 

Until  a  few  years  ago  Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  very  fond 
of  witnessing  a  well-contested  trot,  and  generally  on  the 
first  day  of  the  Buffalo  Grand  Circuit  meeting,  in  Au- 
gust, he  W'ould  take  a  party  of  friends  from  Saratoga  by 
special  train,  witness  the  trotting,  and  return  at  once  to 
the  Springs.  On  these  occasions  he  royally  entertained 
his  guests. 

In  1877  he  visited  England  to  witness  the  Derby,  and 
said  that  the  sight  of  three  hundred  thousand  people 
looking  at  a  horse-race  was  worth  in  itself  a  trip  across 
the  ocean.  When  in  Europe  during  the  trotting  season 
he  sent  many  cablegrams  to  his  agents  in  this  country, 
asking  about  his  horses.  When  St.  Julien  and  Maud  S. 
trotted  in  Rochester,  he  had  the  details  of  the  race  re- 
ported to  him  by  cable,  a  dispatch  being  sent  after  eveiy 
heat. 

Up  to  about  a  year  before  his  death,  Mr.  \^anderbilt 
usually  attended  the  trials  of  fast  trotters,  and  could  be 
seen  on  the  steps  of  the  New  York  Driving  Club  house, 
watching  with  interest  all  that  was  going  on.  He  was 
fond  of  Dan  Mace,  the  trainer,  and  would  spend  much 
time  in  his  company  talking  about  horses.  The  last 
year  of  his  life  he  did  not  go  out  much,  on  account  of 
poor  health,  and  when  he  did  it  was  simply  for  a  drive 
to  Macomb's  Dam  Bridge,  and  home  early. 

He  Iniilt  magnificent  stables  on  Fifty-second  Street, 
near  Madison  Avenue,  at  a  cost  for  the  building  alone 
of  some  $60,000.     Its  walls,  floors,  ceilings  and  stalls, 


HIS   STABLES.  205 

of  whicli  tliere  are  sixteen,  are  all  finished  in  polished 
cheriT,  ash,  and  black  walnut.  At  the  north  end  of  the 
stable  is  a  large  box  stall,  18  x  12,  built  for  Maud  S., 
but  now  occupied  by  Aldine.  The  carriage  house  is 
light  and  airy,  with  a  high  ceiling.  Arranged  in  rows 
-here  stand  a  Victoria,  a  square  coach,  a  landau,  a  d'Or- 
say,  a  Brougham,  and  a  small  Victoria,  two  cutters,  a 
family  sleigh,  five  light  road  wagons,  and  a  tilbury. 
The  harness  room  is  12  x  12,  and  contains  a  large  num- 
ber of  harnesses  arranged  in  glass  cases  with  oak  frames. 
The  entire  area,  100  x  75  feet,  is  given  up  to  the  pur- 
poses of  the  stable,  which  includes  a  carriage-room, 
40  X  57,  and  a  riding-ring,  38  x  51.  In  this  last  the 
horses  were  exercised  when  not  in  use  out  of  doors. 
This  room  is  covered  by  an  iron  and  glass  dome  ;  be- 
neath this  is  a  marble  floor,  and  around  the  outside  edge 
is  a  track  of  tanbark.  The  stable  is  lighted  by  gas,  the 
jets  shaded  with  porcelain  globes,  decorated  with  horses' 
heads.  About  the  walls  are  hung  pictures  of  English 
racing  scenes. 

Almost  all  the  exercise  that  Mr.  Vanderbilt  took  was 
behind  his  horses,  and  it  is  probable  that  they  actually 
prolonged  his  life  for  years. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

WILLIAM  H.  VANDERBILT'S  DONATIONS. 

His  Method  of  Giving — The  Tennessee  University— The  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons — The  Grants — Minor  Gifts — The  Obe- 
lisk— Public  Ingratitude. 

William  II.  Yanderbilt  had  no  ambition  to  be  re- 
garded as  a  philantliropist.  He  had  held  his  own 
against  a  scheming  world,  to  his  father's  astonishment, 
and  he  had  in  seven  years  doubled  his  fathei-'s  bequest, 
to  the  Avorld's  astonishment.  With  that  he  was  measur- 
ably content. 

He  recognized  the  fact  that  he  had  obligations,  and 
he  met  them  without  hesitation  when  they  presented 
themselves  before  him  in  unquestionable  shape.  Old 
friends  who  were  needy  ;  old  associates  of  his  father 
who  had  been  unfortunate ;  employes  of  the  Central, 
suddenly  disabled  or  afflicted — these  he  helped  without 
stint,  and  what  he  gave  was  given  encumbered  with  no 
tedious  restrictions.  He  shunned  subscription  papers 
instinctively,  like  his  father,  but  if  a  case  of  suft'ei-ing 
Avas  laid  before  him  by  an3'body  whom  he  knew  to  be 
trustworthy  he  did  not  hesitate. 

Tlie  Commodore,  like  those  other  illiterate  men — Cor- 
nell, Yassar,  and  Johns  Hopkins — had  borne  fervent 
testimony  in  favor  of  learning,  by  founding  auhiversity, 


METilOD    OF    GIVING,  207 

aiid  the  son  was  not  slow  in  addinii;  to  the  million  dol- 
lars the  father  had  given.  Ua  added  $200,000  to  the 
endowment,  and  gave  $100,000  for  the  Theological 
School.  The  hall  built  with  this  latter  gift  was  dedi- 
cated on  May  8,  ISSl,  the  birthday  of  its  patron.  Only 
two  weeks  before  his  death,  he  gave  his  check  for 
$10,000  toward  the  formation  of  a  library  for  the  Uni- 
versity. 

Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  pleased  with  approval,  and  far 
more  sensitive  to  pnblic  opinion  than  his  father  was  ; 
but  he  was  shy  of  any  conspicuous  lienors,  and  always 
gave  when  he  could,  as  above,  to  institutions  ah'eady 
founded  and  christened,  so  that  his  name  might  not  be 
coupled  with  the  donation.  In  this  spirit  he  made  hislai'g- 
est  gift.  In  1S64:  he  cast  about  to  see  where  lie  could 
most  wisely  bestow  lialf  a  million  dollars  where  it  would 
minister  to  the  sick  and  suffering.  It  would  build  and 
magnificently  endow  a  new  hospital,  to  be  forever  known 
as  the  Vanderbilt  Hospital,  and  to  stand  as  a  defence  and 
answer  tlie  slanders  of  Socialists.  But  no ;  he  did  not 
want  a  monument — he  merely  wanted  to  give  the  money 
M'here  it  would  do  the  most  good.  So  he  gave  it  to  an  ad- 
mirable institution  already  founded — the  College  of  Ph}'- 
sicians  and  Sui'geons.  It  was  a  superb  endowment.  And 
a  year  aftei-\vai-d,  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Sloane,  added  to 
the  gift  a  quarter  of  a  million  from  her  own  resources. 

The  letters  which  he  wrote  to  General  and  Mrs.  Grant 
after  their  financial  disaster,  generously  offering  to  can- 
cel their  obligation  of  $150,000  to  him,  and  pressing 
his  offer  with  delicate  insistance,  won  for  him  many 
grateful  expressions  from  all  parts  of  the  country.*  The 
*  For  these  letters,  see  Appendix  D. 


208  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

incident  extorted  a  sort  of  patronizing  tolerance  and 
churlish  admiration  even  from  those  millions  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  denouncing  every  word  he  spoke  and 
disparaging  everj^  generous  deed  ho  attempted. 

Among  AVilliam  IT.  Yanderbilt's  minor  gifts  may  be 
mentioned,  $100,000  distributed  among  the  employes  of 
the  ]!New  York  Central  Kailroad ;  $50,000  toward  pay- 
ing the  debt  incurred  by  the  Church  of  St.  Bartholomew 
when  it  moved  to  its  present  situation  on  Madison 
Avenue,  and  $10,000  to  the  Deems  Fund  for  the  educa- 
tion of  poor  young  men  at  the  University  of  jS'orth 
Carolina.  ITe  has  also  contributed  to  the  University  of 
Yii'ginia,  and  made  almost  innumerable  private  dona- 
tions, of  which  the  public  has  no  knowledge. 

He  was  plain,  simple,  and  unostentious  in  his  manner 
of  giving,  and  did  not  care  to  have  his  charities  bruited 
in  the  public  prints.  When  Dr.  Deems  explained  to 
him  the  plan  he  had  devised  in  relation  to  helping  poor 
young  men  who  wished  to  get  an  education,  he  said, 
"  I  like  the  scheme,  and  will  give  you  $10,000  for  j-our 
fund." 

Within  two  years  afterward  over  fifty  students  had 
been  helped  through  the  university  by  the  aid  of  this 
gift.  It  is  known  that  he  was  very  kind  to  his  father's 
old  friends,  and  he  gave  pensions  to  many  superannuated 
employes.  The  last  check  he  signed,  three  hours  be- 
fore his  death,  was  for  the  benefit  of  a  charity  in  a  dis- 
tant city. 

When  the  Suez  Canal  was  opened,  in  ISOO,  there  was 
a  large  gathering  of  notable  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
civilized  world.  Among  the  representatives  from 
America  was  Mr.  W.  H.  Hurlburt,  then  editor  of  the 


TRANSPORTING   THE   OBELISK.  209 

New  York  World.  He  met  the  Khedive  of  Eijypt, 
Ismail,  and  this  fanctionary  was  the  first  to  make  the 
suirgestion  iookino;  to  the  reiuov^al  of  the  obelisk  at  Alex- 
andiia  to  America,  lie  offered  to  present  the  monolith 
to  the  United  States,  as  he  had  given  its  prostrate  com- 
panion to  England.  Mr.  Ilurlburt  became  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  project,  and  cast  about  for  ways  and 
means  for  its  accomplishment. 

It  was  ten  years  later,  in  June,  1879,  that  the  atten- 
tion of  Commander  Henry  II.  Gorringe  was  called  to  the 
subject.  He  became  interested  in  the  matter,  made  a 
careful  development  of  original  plans,  and  an  estimate 
of  the  cost  of  executing  them,  which  resulted  in  an  offer 
to  undertake  the  work.  A  couple  of  months  later  he 
received  the  following  letter  : 

New  York,  August  4,  1879. 
LiEiTENANT-CosrMANDER  H.  H.  GoRRisGE,  United  states  Navy. 

De-^r  Sir  :  I  have  learned  that  you  have  or  can  procure  the 
facilities  to  remove  to  the  city  of  New  York  the  obelisk  now 
standing  at  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  known  as  "  Cleopatra's 
Needle." 

As  I  desire  that  this  obelisk  may  be  secured  for  the  city  of 
New  York,  I  make  you  the  following  proposition  :  If  you  will 
take  down  and  remove  said  obelisk  from  its  jjresent  position  to 
this  city,  and  place  it  on  such  site  as  may  be  selected  with  my 
approval  by  the  Commissioners  of  Parks,  and  furnish  and  con- 
struct at  your  own  expense  on  said  site  a  foundation  of  mason- 
work  and  granite  base  of  such  form  and  dimensions  as  said 
commissioners  and  myself  may  approve,  I  will,  on  the  comple- 
tion of  the  whole  work,  pay  to  you  375,000. 

It  is  understood,  however,  that  there  is  to  be  no  liability  on 
my  part  until  the  obelisk  shall  be  so  received  and  placed  in  posi- 
tion in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  the  same  to  be  in  as  good 
condition  as  it  now  is.     It  is  understood  further  that  this  agree- 


210  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

ment  binds  also  my  executors  and  adiijinistrators  ;  you  to  accept 
this  proposition  in  writing  on  the  receipt  thereof,  and  agree  to 
execute  the  same,  and  complete  the  work  fully  in  every  respect 
within  one  year  from  the  date  hereof. 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  H.  Vanderbilt. 

To  this  proposition  Commander  Gorringe  replied  : 

New  York,  August  6,  1879. 
Mk.  William  H.  Vandekbilt. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  hereby  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
August  4,  1879,  relating  to  the  removal  of  the  obelisk  from 
Alexandria,  Egypt,  to  New  York,  and  its  erection  on  a  site  to  be 
selected  with  your  approval,  and  I  accept  the  proposition  and 
the  conditions  named  therein. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Hexry  H.  Goerixge, 
Lieutenant- Commander,  V.S.N. 

Commander  Gorringe  had  much  difficulty  in  getting 
a  vessel  adapted  to  the  novel  transportation,  and  when 
he  reached  Egypt  he  found  that  no  one,  not  even  the 
Khedive,  believed  that  the  great  obelisk  would  be  or 
could  be  taken  to  America.  At  last  the  moiniment  was 
turned  over  to  a  horizontal  position  ;  an  iron  steamer 
was  obtained  ;  its  bow  was  removed,  and  the  vast  mono- 
lith was  introduced  to  the  hull  endwise.  On  June  25, 
1880,  the  sliip  Dessong  was  ailoat  with  her  unprece- 
dented cargo,  and  amid  the  cordial  acclamations  of 
the  Egyptian  populace  she  started  for  America.  A 
fortnight  later,  in  mid-ocean,  the  after  crank-shaft  broke, 
and  she  had  to  lie  still  a  week,  JS'eptune  conducting 
liimself  in  a  most  kindly  manner  during  that  period. 
The  Dessong  anchored  off  Staten  Island  on  July  20th, 


ITS   RE-ERECTION.  211 

and  in  tlie  afternoon  of*T;he  same  day  she  was  moored 
in  the  Hudson  River,  off  Twenty-third  Street. 

It  took  one  hundred  and  twelve  days  to  move  the 
obelisk  overland  from  the  foot  of  West  Ninety-sixth 
Street,  to  the  pedestal  erected  for  it  in  Central  Park,  a 
distance  of  two  miles.  The  corner-stone,  of  polished 
syenite,  was  laid  with  masonic  ceremonies,  and  ou  Jan- 
uary 22,  1881,  the  colossal  stone  was  re-erected  at  noon, 
in  the  presence  of  ten  thousand  people.  On  the  first  claw 
of  the  fourth  crab,  beneath  the  obelisk,  is  the  inscription  : 

The  cost  of  removing  from  Alexandria  and  placing  on  this 
sijot  this  obelisk,  pedestal,  and  base,  was  borne  by  William  H. 
Vanderbilt. 

Mr.  Yanderbilt  paid  $103,Y32  for  the  entire  removal 
and  re-erection.  The  obelisk  is  of  fine  syenite  of  the 
Assouan  quarries.  It  was  formerly  the  companion  of 
the  obelisk  now  standing  on  the  Thames  Embankment. 
The  pair  were  originally  erected  by  Thothmes  III.,  b.c. 
1591-1565,  before  the  famous  Temple  of  the  Sun  at 
Heliopolis.  While  at  Alexandria,  this  obelisk  was  usu- 
ally the  first  and  last  of  Egyptian  monuments  to  be 
visited  by  travelers.  Owing  to  the  gradual  sinking  of  the 
land  of  that  part  of  Egypt  the  sea  came  to  within  eighty 
feet  of  its  base.  It  was  already  inclining  toward  the 
water,  and  in  a  few  years  must  have  fallen  and  been 
broken. 

Commander  Gorringe  lived  to  write  a  history  of  his 
achievement,  dedicated 

To  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  in  recognition  of  the  enlightened 
munificence  to  which  New  York  is  indebted  for  the  possession 


212  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

of  one  of  the  most  interesting  monuments  of  the  Old  World, 
and  of  the  most  ancient  record  of  man  now  known  to  exist  on 
the  American  Continent. 

In  the  preface  of  this  work,  Mr.  W.  II.  Hurlbnrt 
saj's  :  "  But  no  man  knows  as  well  as  I  do  the  discour- 
agements and  difficulties  through  which  success  was  won, 
and  it  appears  to  me  to  be  mj  duty,  therefore,  to  bear 
witness  here,  once  for  all,  to  the  absolute  simplicity  of 
purpose  and  single-minded  public  spirit  to  which  Kew 
York  is  indebted  for  the  possession  of  the  great  obelisk 
of  Alexandria.  No  arguments  wei-e  needed  to  commend 
the  project  to  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  whose  liberality  made  it 
practicable." 

Mr.  Vanderbilt's  wealth  was  so  extraordinary  that  his 
relation  to  society  was  peculiar.  His  charities  were  never 
received  with  a  hearty  good  grace.  When  he  gave 
$300,000  to  the  University,  the  act  was  coarsely  greeted 
with  "  That's  nothing  for  him !  "  When,  with  royal 
courtesy,  he  offered  to  foi'give  General  Grant  a  great 
debt  of  honor,  thei-e  were  ingrates  who  said  "  Well,  he 
stole  the  money,  as  every  millionaire  does,  and  it  would 
be  only  just  if  he  were  to  give  up  ten  times  as  much." 
When  he  donated  half  a  million  to  the  surgeons' college, 
and  another  half  million  to  other  equally  needed  insti- 
tutions, they  expressed  their  gratitude  in  "  Huh !  It 
isn't  a  quarter  of  what  he  ought  to  give !  " 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   MAUSOLEUM. 

Original  Design  Rejected — Too  Grand — Moravian  Thrift — The  Site 
Secured — The  Plan  Adopted — A  Romanesque  Tomb — Granite, 
Limestone,  and  Bronze — The  Interior — Allegorical  Sculptures. 

When^  Mr.  Vanderbilt  determined  to  build  a  tomb  for 
his  last  resting-place,  and  for  the  members  of  his  im- 
mediate family,  he  consulted  the  architect  of  the  Yan- 
derbilt  houses,  Mr.  Richard  M.  Hunt,  and  desired  him 
to  prepare  the  plans.  Mr.  Hunt,  being  acquainted  with 
many  of  the  most  magnificent  mausoleums  in  Europe, 
drew  elaborate  designs  for  a  grand  and  pretentious 
chapel  above-ground,  very  ornate,  since  he  understood 
that  the  cost  would  not  be  considered. 

When  tliese  were  submitted  to  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  he 
said  :  "  Xo,  Mr.  Hunt ;  this  will  not  answer  at  all.  You 
entirely  misunderstood  me.  AYe  are  plain,  quiet,  unos- 
tentatious people,  and  we  don't  want  to  be  buried  in 
anything  so  showy  as  that  would  be.  The  cost  of  it  is 
a  secondary  matter,  and  does  not  concern  me.  I  want  it 
roomy  and  solid  and  rich.  I  don't  object  to  appropriate 
carvings,  or  even  statuary,  but  it  mustn't  have  any  unne- 
cessary fancy-work  on  it." 

The  architect  beoran  asrain,  and  toned  down  his  origi- 


214  *  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

nal  intention  to  something  far  less  ornamental,  and  the 
mausoleum  now  being  finished  on  the  lower  end  of 
Staten  Island  is  the  outcome.  It  is  undoubtedly  the 
finest  and  most  costly  private  tomb  in  America,  and  will 
rank  high  hy  the  side  of  tlie  royal  tombs  of  Enrope. 
The  structure  stands  near  the  bi'ow  of  a  hill  just  back  or 
west  of  the  old  Moravian  Cemetery  at  New  Dorp.  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  originally  intended  to  place  it  in  the  ceme- 
tery, where  so  many  of  his  ancestors  are  buried,  but  the 
trustees  asked  more  for  the  requisite  plot  of  ground  than 
he  thought  it  was  worth.  As  Commodore  Yanderbilt 
had  given  the  fifty  acres  of  land  constituting  the  ceme- 
tery, they  were  unable  to  come  to  an  agreement,  and 
the  result  was  that  fourteen  acres  of  land  were  pur- 
chased just  outside  of,  but  adjoining,  the  cemetery.  A 
much  more  suitable  site  was  thus  procured,  and  the 
fine  structure  is  placed  where  it  can  be  seen  to  advan- 
tage, and  not  upon  level  ground,  with  commonplace 
surroundings.  The  tomb  has  a  front  some  forty  feet  in 
height,  by  sixty  in  breadth,  and  is  placed  against  a  bank 
of  nearly  the  same  height,  so  that  the  sides,  rear,  and 
most  of  the  roof  are  not  seen,  being  covered  with  earth 
and  green  turf.  The  sides  are  also  efi^ectually  masked 
by  retaining  walls  curving  outward,  each  nearly  a  quar- 
ter-circle, and  heavily  buttressed.  The  result  is,  there- 
fore, that  as  the  visitor  approaches  he  sees  merely  a 
gabled  front,  rich  in  carved  work,  forty  feet  higli, 
made  of  Quincy  granite,  divided  laterally  into  a  center 
projected  some  six  feet  from  the  front  walls  of  the 
aisles. 

Standing  upon  the  steps  in  front  of  the  central  door- 
way, an  extensive  and  lovely  view  is  obtained.     The  lit- 


STYLE   OF   ARCHITECTURE.  215 

tie  hamlet  of  New  Dor]),  with  its  quaint  and  scattered 
farm-liouses,  including  the  village  post-office  and  the 
blacksmith's  shop,  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  knoll  ;  bej'ond 
are  the  extensive  tlatlands  which  gently  slope  to  the 
south  shore  of  the  island,  which  merges  into  the  blue 
waters  of  the  lower  Bay  of  New  York  and  the  silver 
gray  of  the  broad  Atlantic.  At  the  right  can  be  seen 
a  sapphire  strip  of  land  known  as  Sandy  Hook,  with  a 
stretch  of  the  Jersey  coast  beyond,  while  at  the  left 
there  is  a  full  view  of  Coney  Island,  with  the  highlands 
of  Long  Island  stretching  toward  Greenwood  and  the 
city  of  Brooklyn. 

Every  steamship  and  sailing  craft  which  enters  Xew 
York  Harbor  must  pass  in  sight  of  this  mausoleum.  It 
will  be  the  first  prominent  object  seen  on  Staten  Island 
by  those  who  come  fiom  Europe  to  America.  The 
farm  where  Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt  spent  some 
twenty  odd  years  of  his  life  lies  spread  out  below  the 
tomb  like  a  map.  It  is  fitting  that  his  last  resting- 
place  should  dominate  the  landscape  he  knew  and  loved 
so  well. 

The  style  of  architecture  followed  in  the  tomb  is 
Romanesque.  Each  of  the  three  divisions  of  the  fagade 
has  a  door-way,  in  which  is  hung  a  double  bronze  door. 
The  upper  part  of  the  door  is  grated,  to  admit  light  to 
the  vestibule.  The  chief  feature  of  the  front  is  tlie 
great  central  door-way,  an  arch  of  some  seven  feet  in 
diameter  inside  and  twenty  outside.  It  is  splayed  in- 
ward, together  with  its  supporting  piers,  in  a  curve  of 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  circle,  to  the  depth  of  five  feet. 
The  tympanum  of  the  arch  is  filled  with  sculpture  cut 
in  the  solid  granite,  representing  the  emblems  which 


216  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

signify  the  writers  of  the  four  gospels,  with  a  figure  of 
Christ  in  the  center.  A  richly-wrought  string-course 
traversing  the  entire  front  is  continued  across  the  open- 
ins:  as  a  transom,  and  the  whole  Held  of  the  wall  of  the 
central  front  is  decorated  in  diaper.  Another  string- 
course divides  this  from  the  gable  above,  which  is  dec- 
orated with  a  mock  arcade  the  height  of  the  openings, 
conforming  to  the  line  of  the  roof,  after  the  manner  of 
the  facade  of  the  famous  Cathedral  of  Pisa. 

In  front  of  the  main  door  is  a  semicircular  platform, 
eighteen  feet  in  diameter,  on  a  level  with  tlie  floor  of 
the  vestibule,  and  gained  by  an  ascent  of  six  Steps.  The 
vestibule  is  eleven  by  fifty-one  feet  in  area,  and  opens 
through  a  single  door-way  at  the  center  into  the  tomb 
proper.  Each  side  of  this  door-way  are  large  tablets  of 
polished  Quincy  granite,  and  two  of  the  same  size  at 
either  end  of  the  vestibule.  There  is  a  deep  arched 
recess  opposite  each  side-door,  opening  into  the  vesti- 
bule, which  contains  a  huge  vase  of  polished  granite 
standing  upon  a  pedestal.  These  can  be  used  for  hold- 
ing flowers.  Either  side  of  the  main  door,  in  the  front 
wall  of  the  vestibule,  there  are  small  doors,  at  the  foot 
of  bronze  staircases,  which  lead  to  the  ventilating  cham- 
bers above  the  catacombs. 

In  the  tympanum  over  the  great  door-way  opening 
into  the  tomb  proper  is  a  bas-relief  showing  a  figure 
of  Christ,  with  angels  and  scroll-work,  and  the  words,  in 
English  text,  "  I  am  the  door."  This  is  seen  from  tlie 
vestibule,  as  the  tomb  is  entered.  Inside  the  tomb 
another  bas-relief  over  the  same  door-way  sliows  Christ 
in  the  act  of  pronouncing  a  blessing,  with  the  words 
"  Pax  Vobiscum  "  on  a  scroll. 


THE   INTERIOR.  217 

The  great  room  of  the  tomb  proper  is  sixty  by  forty- 
five  feet,  and  fully  forty  feet  high  from  the  floor  to  the 
top  of  the  arches.  It  resembles  a  church  built  of  solid 
stone  and  richly  carved,  only  that  the  side-walls  are 
filled  with  open  catacombs.  This  room  is  composed  of 
two  bays  nearly  square,  and  a  semicircular  apse,  or  chan- 
cel, covered  with  a  half-dome.  The  apse  is  raised  above 
tlie  main  floor  of  the  tomb,  and  contains  an  altar  of 
stone,  to  be  used  in  religious  services  for  the  burial  of 
the  dead.  The  bays  are  covered  with  vaulted  ceilings 
resting  upon  arches  turned  between  the  bounding  piers, 
and  terminating  in  open  rings,  protected  by  open  lan- 
terns visible  from  without,  and  through  which  alone, 
with  the  glass  nine  inches  thick,  light  is  admitted  to 
the  interior. 

The  great  interior  is  an  unobstructed  space,  and  occu- 
pies the  breadth  only  of  the  central  part  of  the  front. 
The  sides  of  the  room  contain  the  cells  or  catacombs,  for 
coffins.  Beneath  each  of  the  large  arches  which  support 
the  vaulted  ceiling  on  each  side  are  two  subordinate 
arches  springing  from  a  central  column.  There  are 
eight  compartments  thus  formed,  each  containing  nine 
cells,  or  seventy-two  in  all.  A  ventilating  pipe  runs 
from  each  cell  to  the  air-chambers  above.  The  cells 
are  about  2  feet  7  inches  in  width  by  2  feet  2  inches  in 
height,  and  8  feet  deep.  The  heads  of  the  arches  above 
the  cells  are  filled  with  semicircular  bas-reliefs,  about 
8  feet  by  4,  illustrating  scriptural  subjects.  Beginning 
with  the  first,  at  the  right  of  the  apse,  they  are  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  Creation  of  Man  ;"  "  The  Fafl  of  Man  ;  " 
''  Giving  the  Law  to  Moses  ;  "  "  David  Praising  the 
Lord  ;  "  ''  Solomon  sitting  in  Judgment ;  "  "  The  Virgin 
10 


218  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

and  the  Christ  Child  ;  "  "  The  Crucifixion,"  and  "  The 
Ascension."  Rich  bronze  gratings,  costing  $60,000,  and 
requiring  twenty  tons  of  standard  bronze,  protect  the 
cells  from  intrusion.  These  gratings,  or  gates,  are  very 
artistic  and  elaborate  in  design.  They  were  made  in 
America  by  artisans  brought  from  Paris.  Each  piece 
liad  to  be  cast  separately,  after  which  all  were  put  to- 
gether. Kew  moulds  were  made  for  every  piece  for 
each  of  the  screens,  or  gates.  The  effect  of  so  much 
bi'onze  work  is  wonderfully  rich,  and  gives  the  interior 
of  the  tomb  a  strange  appearance.  The  color  harmonizes 
with  the  deep-toned  and  gloomy  surroundings.  This 
bronze  work  renders  both  the  tomb  and  the  cells  within 
burglar  proof.  The  whole  interior  of  the  tomb  is  made 
of  light-colored  Indiana  limestone,  the  floor  consisting 
of  large  slabs  of  it.  The  structure  was  over  a  year  in 
building,  and  is  supposed  to  have  cost  not  less  than 
$300,000. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

CLOSING   LABORS. 

Sensitive  to  Public  Opinion— Relinquishes  His  "Monopoly" — Fifty 
Millions  in  Government  Bonds — Resigns  His  Presidencies — Let- 
ter to  Associates— "  The  Pvablic  be  Damned  !  " — Succeeded  by 
His  Sons  — Working  Westward — Acquiring  the  Nickel  Plate- 
Letter  on  Freight  Discriminations — Ou  Labor — To  Grover  Cleve- 
land. 

As  year  followed  year,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  withdrew  more 
and  more  of  his  attention  from  the  roads,  leaned  more 
and  more  upon  his  sons,  and  took  longer  and  more  fre- 
quent vacations.  Sometimes  he  went  to  Europe  just  for 
the  ocean  voyage,  returning  upon  the  same  vessel  which 
carried  him  out. 

He  was  widely  condenmed  as  "  a  dangerous  monopo- 
list "  by  all  agrarians,  and  by  others  who  were  moved 
by  similar  feelings  without,  perhaps,  proceeding  to  the 
extreme  conclusions ;  and  the  illustrated  papers  con- 
stantly put  forth  vile  caricatures  of  him  representing 
him  as  a  colossal  dragon  on  wheels,  rushing  across  the 
land  M'ith  bloody  claws,  yawning  jaws,  and  breath  of 
flame.  He  was  vehemently  denounced  as  the  enemy 
of  the  people,  the  oppressor  of  the  poor,  the  robber  of 
the  industrious. 

It  was  partly  to  silence  this  senseless  clamor  that  he 
resolved  to  sell  $35,000,000  worth  of  his  Central  stock. 


220  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

How  to  do  it  without  breaking  the  market  and  causing 
a  depreciation  of  all  securities  was  the  serious  question. 
Negotiations  were  carried  on  for  weeks  with  great 
secrecy.  A  journey  was  made  to  Europe  in  the  interest 
of  the  scheme.  In  the  last  week  in  November,  1879, 
the  bargain  was  closed. 

To  a  syndicate  representing  chiefly  the  Wabash  sys- 
tem, but  also  a  number  of  foreign  capitalists,  he  sold 
250,000  shares  of  Central  stock.  He  was  known  to  hold 
at  the  time  at  least  400,000  shares,  which,  as  the  market 
then  stood,  represented  a  wealth  of  $52,000,000.  The 
stock  had  not  been  seen  on  the  London  Board  for  nearly 
fifteen  j-ears,  and  it  was  felt  that  it  was  desirable  that  it 
should  be  there.  Besides,  there  was  danger  of  a  rupture 
in  the  traffic  agreement  between  the  Central  and  Wabash 
systems,  the  latter  system  having  been  extended  a  short 
time  before,  and  through  freight  being  a  prize  for  which 
an  active  competition  among  the  trunk  lines  was  to  be 
expected.  The  purchasing  syndicate  was  composed  of 
J.  S.  Morgan  &  Co.,  of  London,  Drexel,  Moi-gan  vfe  Co., 
August  Belmont  &  Co.,  L.  Van  Hoffmann  &  Co., 
Morton,  Bliss  &  Co.,  Winslow,  Lanier  &  Co.,  Edwin 
D.  Morgan,  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Jay  Gould,  Russell  Sage, 
and  others.  This  syndicate  took  the  250,000  shares  at 
120,  wliich  was  10  below  the  ruling  price  in  the  market. 
It  was  agreed  that  the  syndicate  should  have  a  corre- 
sponding i-epresentation  in  the  director}'  of  the  Central, 
and  that  Yanderbilt  should  not  place  any  of  its  stock  on 
the  market  for  a  year. 

The  news  of  the  consummation  of  the  sale  reached 
Wall  Street  early  on  November  26th,  and  the  effect  was 
promptly  visible  in  the  advance  of  the  Vanderbilt  and  Wa- 


GREAT   SALE   OF   STOCK.  221 

bash  stocks.  Xew  Yoik  C'entral  and  Hudson  River  rose 
from  129|  to  134f ,  and  AVabasli  common  from  39  to 
434,  preferred  from  63  to  68.  The  rest  of  the  list  being 
affected  by  sympathy,  Erie  closed  at  3Sf,  that  being 
the  liighest  price  of  the  day.  Tlie  advance  was  due  to 
a  general  conviction  that  the  arrangement  was  one  of 
the  highest  value  to  the  two  systems,  inasmuch  as  it 
was  a  guaranty  of  at  least  temporary  harmony  in  traffic 
relations  between  them.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  admitted  that 
one  of  the  considerations  that  entered  into  the  sale  was 
that  it  would  i-elieve  him  and  his  road  of  the  embar- 
rassment growing  out  of  the  public  distrust  of  great 
power  in  a  single  man. 

Tlie  835,000,000  which  he  received  for  the  stock  he 
at  once  reinvested  in  government  bonds,  and  within  a 
year  it  was  reported  from  Washington  that  he  was  re- 
ceiving interest  on  bonds  amounting  to  853,000,000. 

Chauncey  M.  Depevv,  speaking  of  tliis  colossal  trans- 
action, said  :  "  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  because  of  assaults  made 
upon  liim  in  the  Legislature  and  in  the  newspapers, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a  mistake  for  one  in- 
dividual to  own  a  controlling  interest  in  a  great  corpora- 
tion like  tlie  iS^ew  York  Central,  and  also  a  mistake  to 
have  so  many  eggs  in  one  basket,  and  he  thought  it 
Avould  be  better  for  himself,  and  better  for  the  company, 
if  the  ownership  were  distributed  as  widely  as  possi- 
ble. .  .  .  These  syndicates  afterward  sold  it,  and  the 
stock  became  one  of  the  most  widely-distributed  of  the 
dividend-paying  American  securities.  There  are  now 
about  fourteen  thousand  stockholders.  At  the  time  he 
sold  there  were  about  tliree  thousand." 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  had  done  all  he  could  to  prevent  the 


222  THE   VATiTDERBILTS. 

completion  of  that  "  piratical "  road,  the  Nickel  Plate, 
cutting  rates  desperately^  to  that  end,  but  to  his  discomfi- 
ture it  pressed  on  mile  after  mile,  and  he  felt  compelled, 
early  in  1883,  since  he  could  not  break  it,  to  buy  it. 
His  second  son  carried  on  the  negotiations  with  a  good 
deal  of  ability,  and  on  the  reorganization  of  the  com- 
pany was  elected  its  president. 

On  May  3,  1883,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  finally  resigned  the 
presidencies  of  the  various  roads  of  which  for  six  years 
he  had  been. the  he^d.  His  health  had  been  gradually 
failing,  and  he  felt  that  he  owed  all  his  care  to  its  recu- 
peration. The  retirement  had  been  anticipated  for  some 
time,  but  it  caused  considerable  surprise.  In  surrender- 
ing his  position,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  said  : 

"  Gentlemen  :  The  companies  of  which  I  have  had 
the  honor  to  be  president  for  many  years  past  are  now 
about  to  elect  new  officers  for  the  ensuing  year.  The 
meetings  of  all  of  them  have  been  called  at  this  office  at 
this  time  to  thank  you  as  the  directors  and  officers,  and 
also  the  shareholders  of  the  several  companies,  for  the 
confidence  they  have  always  reposed  in  me  as  their  pres- 
ident. It  is  my  belief  that  these  corporations  are  all 
in  sound  condition,  and  that  all  the  prominent  positions 
in  them  are  filled  by  gentlemen  who  understand  their 
duties,  and  who  will  discharge  them  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  stockholders.  This  fact  has  had  gi'eat  infiuence 
with  me  in  determining  the  course  of  action  which  I 
have,  after  due  delibei'ation,  decided  upon. 

"  In  my  judgment  the  time  has  arrived  when  I  owe 
it  as  a  duty  to  myself,  to  the  corporations,  and  to  those 
around  me  upon  whom  the  chief  management  will  de- 
volve, to  retire  from  the  presidency.     In  declining  the 


"the  public  be  damped."  223 

honor  of  a  re-election  from  you  I  do  not  mean  to  sever 
my  relations  or  abate  the  interest  I  have  heretofore 
taken  in  these  coi-porations.  It  is  my  purpose  and  aim 
that  these  several  corporations  shall  remain  upon  such  a 
basis  for  their  harmonious  working  with  each  other,  and 
for  the  efficient  management  of  each,  as  will  secure  for 
the  system  both  permanency  and  pi-osperity.  Under 
the  reorganization  each  of  them  will  elect  a  chairman  of 
the  Board,  who,  in  connection  with  the  Executive  and 
Finance  Committees,  will  have  immediate  and  constant 
supervision  of  all  the  affairs  of  the  companies  and  bring 
to  the  support  of  the  officers  the  active  assistance  of  tlie 
directors.  The  plan  of  organization  now  adopted  and 
inaugurated  will  remove  the  business  of  the  companies 
from  the  contingencies  of  accident  to  any  individual, 
and  insure  a  continuance  of  the  policy  which  has  here- 
tofore met  the  approval  of  the  stockholders." 

The  various  Boards  passed  complimentary  resolutions 
in  response. 

Mr.  Yanderbilt,  accompanied  by  his  son  George  and 
his  Uncle  Jacob,  immediately  sailed  for  Europe,  which 
he  had  visited  many  times  since  that  first  celebrated  voy- 
age on  the  Xoi'th  Star.  James  H.  Rutter  was  elected 
president  of  the  Central,  and  retained  the  position  until 
liis  death,  his  successor  being  Chauncey  M.  Depew.  The 
system  laid  out  by  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  which  is  based  on 
the  English  system  of  railway  management,  has  since 
been  maintained. 

A  thousand  sarcastic  changes  have  been  rung,  and  a 
thousand  indignant  editorials  written,  and  hundreds  of 
satirical  cartoons  printed,  concerning  the  notorious  say- 
ing attributed  to  him,  "  The  public  be  d d  !  "     His 


224  THE    VAISTDERBILTS, 

utterance  of  it  was  at  first  denied  by  those  desiring  to 
defend  him,  but  Saninel  Barton,  his  favorite  nephew, 
was  one  of  tlie  party  at  the  time,  and  he  confirmed  the 
report  of  the  exclamation  liaving  been  made.  But  the 
vicious  story  of  the  reporter  was  virtually  false,  notwith- 
standing, for  he  omitted  all  the  context  and  the  surround- 
ing circumstances  which  explained  the  malediction. 

The  thing  under  consideration  was  the  fast  Chicago 
mail-train,  which  Mi'.  Vanderbilt  was  about  to  take  off. 

"  Why  are  you  going  to  stop  this  fast  mail-train  ? " 
asked  the  reporter,  whom  Mr.  Vanderbilt  had  received 
on  his  special  car  with  every  evidence  of  cordiality. 

"  Because  it  doesn't  pay,"  was  the  answer.  "  I  can't 
run  a  train  as  far  as  this  permanently  at  a  loss." 

"  But  the  public  find  it  very  convenient  and  useful. 
You  ought  to  accommodate  them." 

"  The  public  ? "  rejoined  Mr.  Vanderbilt ;  "  how  do  you 
know  they  find  it  useful  ?  How  do  you  know,  or  how 
can  I  know,  that  they  want  it  ?  If  they  want  it,  why 
don't  they  patronize  it  and  make  it  pay?  That's  thej 
only  test  I  have  of  whether  a  thing  is  wanted — does  it 
pay  ?     If  it  doesn't  pay,  I  suppose  it  isn't  wanted." 

"  Mr.  Vanderbilt,"  persisted  the  reporter,  determined 
to  get  a  column  interview  somehow,  "  are  jou  working 
for  the  public  or  for  jouv  stockholders  ?  " 

"The  public  be  d d!"  broke  out  the  irritated 

man — "  I  am  working  for  my  stockholders  !  If  the  pub- 
lic want  the  train,  why  don't  they  support  it  ?  " 

That  is  the  way  it  happened.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  often 
spoke  freely  to  reporters— sometimes  too  freely.  He 
did  not  seem  to  realize  the  weight  which  people  placed 
on  anything  that  fell  from  his  lips. 


CLOSING   LABORS.  225 

Great  were  his  indignation  and  disgust  when  he  found 
that  his  casual  words  in  defence  of  the  stockholders 
whose  agent  he  was  had  been  tortured  into  a  brutal 
speech— a  malevolent  imprecation  aimed  ac  the  whole 
American  people,  to  whom  he  owed  his  fortune.  Noth- 
ing, he  alleged,  was  further  from  his  thoughts. 

Steadily,  during  these  years,  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  two 
eldest  sons,  Cornelius  and  William  Kissam,  had  grown 
from  being  assistants  to  being  associates  and  practical 
allies.  Tlie\'  had  neither  found  nor  sought  to  find  places 
that  were  sinecures  in  the  great  establishment.  Corne- 
lius had,  on  his  grandfathers  death,  become  First  Vice- 
president  and  chief  of  the  Finance  Department,  and  his 
younger  brother  had  become  Second  Vice-president 
and  head  of  Transportation.  The  duties  of  these  posi- 
tions were  exacting,  but  the  young  men  who  occupied 
them  had  been  trained  to  work,  and  they  had  been 
taught  by  both  father  and  grandfather  that  constant 
work  was  their  only  salvation. 

After  his  resignation  of  the  presidency,  William  IJ. 
Vanderbilt  had,  on  the  advice  of  his  physicians,  with- 
drawn almost  entirely  from  office- work,  and  even  from 
active  superintendence.  He  had  resigned  his  director- 
ship and  sold  his  stock  in  the  AVestern  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  and  in  the  Union  Pacific.  His  latest  opera- 
tions were  purchases  and  dealings  in  Chicago  and  North- 
Avestern,  Omaha,  and  Philadelphia  and  Reading,  and  a 
few  other  minor  transactions.  During  a  year  or  two, 
a  project  which  had  gi-adually  assumed  tremendous 
physical  proportions,  known  as  the  West  Shore  Railroad, 
had  been  a  very  pronounced  thorn  in  Mr.  Vanderbilt's 
flesh,  by  reason  of  its  continuous  opposition  to  the  great 
10* 


226  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

system  of  wliich  his  father  was  the  founder.  It  was 
pushed  to  completion  bj-  its  reckless  and  desperate  pro- 
jectors, and  soon  went  into  the  inevitable  bankruptcy. 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  did  not  hesitate  vehemently  and  frankly 
to  denounce  the  promoters  as  a  gang  of  thieves  and 
blackmailers,  who  had  stolen  the  money  of  dnped  stock- 
holders in  order  to  obtain  the  chance  of  stealing  his  ; 
but  the  rival ly  M'as  too  immediate  and  disastrous,  and 
something  must  be  done.  Mr.  Depew  undertook  nego- 
tiation at  the  solicitation  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  which  re- 
sulted within  the  week  in  an  absolute  transfer  of  the 
West  Shore  to  the  Xew  York  Central  on  terms  calcu- 
hUed  to  discourage  those  who  build  competing  roads  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  selling  out. 

At  all  times  Mr.  Vanderbilt  entertained  positive  views 
as  to  discriminations  and  rate-cutting,  and  he  did  not 
Jiesitate  to  express  them. 

On  Febrnary  28,  1878,  the  New  York  Chamber  of 
Commerce  held  a  meeting  to  hear  the  Railroad  Trans- 
portation Committee  report  on  "  Freight  Discrimina- 
tions and  the  Effect  upon  the  Commerce  of  the  City." 
At  this  meeting  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  William 
H.  Vanderbilt  was  read. 

President's  Office, 

New  Yokk  Central  and  Hitdson  Eiver  R.R.  Co., 

Grand  Central  Depot, 

New  York,  February  21,  1878. 
Dear  Sm, — Yon  ask  me  to  give  you  my  views  upon  the 
peculiar  diificulties  and  disadvantages  attending  the  receipt 
and  shipment  of  merchandise  at  this  port.  Cities,  like  rail- 
ways, must  offer  equal  facilities  with  their  comjietitors  for  busi- 
ness.    Within  the  past  ten  years  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore 


LETTER   ON   COMMERCE.  227 

have  made  rapid  progress  in  competing  for  foreign  and  home 
trade.  They  have  granted  to  their  railroads  the  most  liberal 
privileges  in  tlie  iise  of  streets,  docks,  and  water-fronts,  and 
have  furnished  them  every  assistance  for  the  erection  of  ware- 
houses and  elevators,  and  the  establishment  of  steamer  and 
other  lines.  As  a  natural  sequence,  the  imports  and  exports  at 
those  cities  are  constantly  inci'easing,  and  will  continue  to  in- 
crease, at  the  exj^ense  of  New  York,  until  New  York  shall  see  its 
danger  and  fully  offer  the  same  facilities  for  commerce.  The 
New  Y'ork  merchant  is  subjected  to  a  terminal  charge  of  from 
seventy  cents  to  one  dollar  per  ton,  a  burden  from  which  his 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  rivals  are  free.  It  is  clearly  to  the 
interest  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
way, carrying  goods  upon  a  pro  rata  of  the  Baltimore  or  Phila- 
delphia mileage,  to  take  them  to  those  ports,  rather  than  to 
New  York,  and  deliver  them  to  the  consignee,  without  this 
terminal  charge  ;  and,  from  this  cause,  leaving  out  their  other 
and  local  influences,  it  is  to  their  interest  to  divert  trade  from 
this  port ;  for  here  comes  always  this  exceptional  tax,  in  the 
shape  of  a  terminal  charge,  affecting  every  ton  of  freight  de- 
livered in  the  city,  and  amounting  to  about  ten  dollars  a  car  in 
excess  of  the  same  freight  delivered  in  either  Philadelphia  or 
Baltimore. 

The  land  under  water  around  this  city  has  been  granted  to  it 
by  the  State  for  the  puii^ose  of  improving,  increasing,  and  ex- 
tending the  commercial  facilities  of  the  metropolis.  This  prop- 
erty is  a  trust,  to  be  used,  not  to  secure  a  temporary  income, 
but  to  be  so  administered  as  to  enlarge  and  cheajDen  the  busi- 
ness of  this  ijort.  But  the  city,  relying  upon  its  natural  and 
other  advantages,  has  always  appropriated,  improved,  and  rented 
this  gift,  as  if  it  was  held  only  for  the  immediate  revenue  which 
could  be  collected,  without  regard  to  the  effect  of  such  a  policy 
upon  our  future  prosperity.  Public  sentiment  has  heretofore 
sustained  this  view,  but  the  time  has  come  when  both  the  city 
government  and  the  merchants  must  see  that  any  revenue  de- 
rived from  this  source  is  insignificant  compared  with  the  damage 
inflicted.     While  steamships  at  other  and  rival  ports   laud  at 


228  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

comparatively  free  wliarfs,  the  rental  of  a  dock  owned  by  our 
city  is  about  equal  to  seven  per  cent,  per  annum  upon  the  cost 
of  a  first-ciass  ocean  steamer,  and  at  the  same  time  our  railways 
are  prohibited  from  reaching  these  docks,  though  the  distance 
is  only  a  few  feet,  the  expense  trifling,  and  the  connection 
would  to  that  extent  put  us  on  an  equality  with  rival  cities. 
"When  the  railroad  desires  to  use  city  property  for  the  building 
of  depots,  and  the  increase  of  facilities,  it  pays  at  the  same  rate 
as  to  a  private  individual.  When  it  wishes  to  erect  piers  over 
the  land  under  water,  and  applies  for  a  permit,  the  city  expects 
a  large  yearly  rental  for  this  ground,  covered  by  fifteen  or  thirty 
feet  of  water,  and  that  the  pier  built  by  the  comiaany  at  great 
expense  shall  revert  to  the  city,  after  a  few  years,  as  its  abso- 
lute property. 

Every  burden  of  this  description  is  paid  directly  by  the  rail- 
road, but  necessarily  reimposed  upon  its  traffic.  The  proj^erty 
of  the  city,  otherwise  useless,  is  improved  at  the  cost  of  the 
company,  and  the  improvement  increases  our  terminal  facili- 
ties, adds  to  our  commercial  advantages,  and  cheapens  the  ex- 
l^ense  of  doing  business  at  this  port ;  but  the  terms  imposed 
neutralize  most  of  the  benefit.  In  all  these  matters  the  true  in- 
terests of  the  city,  the  railroads,  and  the  merchants  are  identi- 
cal. We  have  the  same  competitions,  and  we  must  live  on 
profits  so  small  that  volume  of  business  becomes  a  necessity. 
It  is  short-sighted  policy  which  jH-omjits  an  increased  terminal 
expense  at  New  York,  making  it  to  the  interest  of  any  road  to 
carry  its  traffic  elsewhere.  The  natural  advantages  of  this  city, 
and  its  large  control  of  the  channels  of  trade,  ought  to  be  so 
supplemented  by  its  liberality  and  wisdom  as  to  induce  all  lines 
to  seek  New  York. 

I  appeal  to  the  merchants  to  arouse  the  municipal  authorities 
on  this  questioi>,  and  to  encourage  and  sustain  every  elfort  look- 
ing to  relief  and  improvement.  Trade  once  lost  is  hard  to  gain. 
The  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  is  ready  at  all 
times  to  bear  the  burdens  and  make  the  expenditures  necessary 
to  compete  with  roads  in  other  seaboard  cities.  With  thor- 
ough harmony  of  action,  as  there  is  of  interest  between  the 


LETTER  TO   CLEVELAND.  229 

municipal  goverament,  the  merchants,  and  the  railroads,  the 
financial  and  commercial  sui^remacy  of  Nesv  York  can  be  main- 
tained. 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  H.  Vaxderbilt. 

Ch.\eles  S.  Smith,  Esq., 
Chairman  of  Committee  of  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

In  October,  1884,  at  the  commencement  of  the  rail- 
road war,  cutting  rates  to  the  West,  Mr.  William  11. 
Yanderbilt  said  : 

"  I  can  tell  von  one  thing :  our  old  road  will  not  be 
behind  any  of  its  rivals,  whether  they  are  young  or  old. 
The  rates  to  the  West  may  be  any  figure  that  the  other 
lines  may  choose  to  make  them  .  .  .  The  fact  is 
that  there  has  got  to  be  a  further  liquidation.  Some 
companies  among  the  trunk  lines  have  confessed  that 
they  were  not  making  much  money,  but  others  have 
not  .  .  .  Everybody  has  lost  money  in  the  last  year 
or  two,  and  it  is  fortunate  that  the  losses  have  fallen  on 
the  richest  men.  1  feel  the  depreciation,  and  perhaps 
in  proportion  to  my  wealth,  but  on  some  of  the  rich 
men  it  is  telling  pretty  hard.  It  is  ridiculous  to  suppose 
that  politics  will  change  the  process  of  liquidation.  The 
success  of  one  candidate  or  the  other  will  not  add  a  cent 
to  what  I  already  have.  But  I  decline  to  discuss  pol- 
itics ;  I  take  an  interest  in  it,  but  I  have  not  given  any- 
thing to  either  side. 

"  One  of  the  troubles  in  this  country  just  now  is  the 
relation  of  wages  to  the  cost  of  production.  A  skilled 
workman  in  almost  every  branch  of  business  gets  every 
day  money  enough  to  buy  a  barrel  of  flour.  I  don't  refer 
to  ordinary  laborers,  but  to  men  skilled  at  their  trades. 


230  THE    VANDERBILTS. 

The  man  who  makes  the  article  receives  as  rancli  wages, 
in  many  instances,  as  tlie  article  is  worth  when  it  is 
finished.  This  is  not  exactly  fair,  in  my  opinion,  and 
must  be  adjusted.  Until  wages  have  a  truer  relation  to 
production  there  can  be  no  real  prosperity  in  tlie  couu- 
try." 

The  following  letter,  written  by  Mr.  Vanderbilt  just 
afterward,  explains  itself. 

The  Honorable  Geoveb  Cle-'vTeland  : 

My  Dear  Sir — I  congratulate  you  and  tlie  people  of  the 
wliole  country  upon  your  election  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States.  You  owe  your  election,  in  my  opinion,  to  the 
fact  that  the  people  believed  you  to  be  an  honest  man,  and  not 
to  any  particular  efforts  made  by  any  faction  of  either  the 
Democratic  or  Republican  parties. 

Independent  men  who  care  more  for  good  government  than 
for  parties  or  individuals  have  made  you  their  choice,  because 
they  were  convinced  that  your  administration  would  not  be  for 
the  benefit  of  any  political  organization  or  favored  i^ersous,  but 
for  the  interest  of  the  whole  people.  This  is  just  the  result 
which  is  most  desired.  We  have  reached  a  time  when  party 
amounts  to  little ;  the  country  is  above  all,  and  wants  an  honest 
government  by  honest  men.  The  belief  that  we  will  find  it 
iu  you  has  led  to  your  election. 

Yours  very  truly, 

W.  H.  Vanderbilt. 

New  York,  November  7,  1884. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  voted  generally  the  Kepublican  ticket, 
but  in  late  years  the  Democratic.  His  sons  are  all  Re- 
publicans, excepting  AVilliam  Kissam,  who  is  an  enthu- 
siastic Democrat,  approving,  usually,  of  both  the  meas- 
ures and  methods  of  his  party. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

W.  H.  VANDERBILTS   DEATH. 

Worry  and  Anxiety — His  Declining  Health— Morning  of  the  Last 
Day — At  Ward's  Studio — Conference  with  Mr.  Garrett — Paralysis 
and  Quick  Death — Effect  on  the  Public  Mind— Simple  and  Inex- 
pensive Funeral — The  Vault  at  New  Dorp — Home  Again. 

Mk.  Vanderbilt  "svas  a  mucli  more  comfortable  aiul 
happy  man  upon  his  Staten  Island  farm  than  in  his 
Fifth  Avenue  palace.  Like  numy  farmei's,  he  knew 
that  the  story  of  Antseus,  the  giant  son  of  Keptune, 
said  to  have  been  strongest  when  he  touched  the  earth, 
was  not  a  fable,  but  the  poetical  expression  of  a  rugged 
fact. 

After  he  left  the  farm  and  came  to  the  city  to  live  he 
complained  of  a  feeling  of  suffocation,  and  every  pleas- 
ant Simday  for  years  saw  him  behind  a  brisk  team  driv- 
ing to  the  ferry  to  seek  the  free  air  of  his  former  home. 
These  visits  became  less  and  less  f  i-equent  with  the  flight 
of  years,  until  sometimes  months  would  pass  and  find 
him  chained  to  the  city.  It  told  upon  his  health — the 
confinement  and  care  of  his  great  and  growing  property. 

William  II.  Yanderbilt  never  learned  his  father's 
knack  of  turning  off  business  rapidly  and  easily.  What- 
ever he  had  to  do  he  generally  did  in  the  hardest  way. 
He  could  not  acquire  the  habit  of  shifting  his  burden. 

Of  course,  this  injured  his  general  health.     Ilis  ap- 


232  THE   A'AXDEEBILTS. 

petite  failed  him.  lie  was  anxious  about  himself,  and 
wanted  the  doctors  to  see  him  often.  His  anxiety  was 
increased  by  an  attack  of  paralysis  which  the  doctors 
called  "insignificant"  while  living  in  the  house  at  the 
corner  of  Fortieth  Street,  but  the  effects  of  it  soon 
passed  away,  and  he  pretty  nearly  i-ecavered  his  confi- 
dence that  he  might  possibly  enjoy  a  long  life.  "If  I 
can  only  pass  my  sixty-fourth  birthday  !"  he  would  ex- 
claim ;  "  that  seems  to  be  a  dangerous  period  in  our 
family."     So  the  result  proved  it  to  be. 

His  death  on  December  8th  was  sudden  and  dra- 
matic. He  had  no  note  of  warning.  He  died  in- 
stantly, as  he  had  often  wished  to  die,  not  sympathizing 
with  the  prayer  of  the  litany.  The  day  had  been  with- 
out excitement.  He  rose  at  the  early  hour  of  seven,  as 
was  his  custom,  and  breakfasted  at  eight  and  a  half  with 
his  family.  He  showed  little  appetite  for  food,  but  this 
was  not  unusual,  as  lie  had  been  suffering  from  indiges- 
tion for  years.  After  the  morning  meal  the  "  boys  " 
dropped  in  to  see  him,  as  they  were  wont  to  do — Corne- 
lius, William  K.,  and  Frederick  AV. — and  consulted  with 
him  about  the  management  of  the  properties  that  the 
family  controlled,  and  in  the  direction  of  which  they 
were  active.  About  half-past  nine  this  conference  was 
held,  and  Mr.  Rossiter,  the  treasurer  of  the  Centi-al 
road,  and  the  custodian  of  many  of  Mr.  Yanderbilt's 
business  confidences,  was  also  present.  At  eleven  o'clock, 
some  matter  being  under  consideration  that  required 
the  pi-esence  of  Mr.  Depew,  he  was  sent  foi-,  but  he  re- 
turned word  that  he  would  be  unable  to  answer  the  call 
before  one  o'clock,  and  an  appointment  was  made  for 
that  hour. 


THE   LAST   HOURS.  233 

Considerable  business  liad  been  ti-ansacted  by  this 
time,  and  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  remembering  that  he  liad  an 
appointment,  left  the  house  and  walked  briskly  to  the 
studio  of  J.  Q.  A.  Ward.  He  gave  the  sculptor  about 
an  hour's  sitting  for  the  bronze  bust  of  him  which  had 
been  ordei-ed  by  the  trustees  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons;  that  notable  beneticiary  of  his  bounty. 

Returning  to  the  house,  he  had  luncheon  at  12.30, 
sitting  at  table  with  his  wife,  his  youngest  son,  George, 
and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Twombly.  It  was  afterward 
remarked  that  he  was  in  a  cheerful  mood  and  chatted  in 
a  jocund  manner  with  the  family.  At  one  o'clock  Mr. 
Depew  arrived,  but  finding  that  Mr.  Robert  Garrett, 
president  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company, 
had  just  called  to  have  a  talk  with  Mr,  Vanderbilt, 
he  waived  his  own  engagement  till  later  in  the  day, 
and  insisted  on  Mr,  Garrett  taking  his  place.  The  ar- 
rangement was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Garrett  began  to  talk 
over  the  project  of  bringing  the  new  trunk  line  into  the 
city  via  Staten  Island  and  Mr.  A^anderbilt's  old  home. 

The  two  men  were  seated  in  the  study,  a  capacious 
room  on  the  north  side  of  the  house.  A  brisk  fire  was 
burning  on  the  hearth.  The  greater  millionaire  sat  in 
liis  favorite  easy-chair,  one  with  a  deep  seat,  low  back,  and 
soft  arms  ;  at  his  left,  his  table  scattered  with  papers ; 
behind  him,  his  desk.  Tlie  smaller  millionaire  sat  on  a 
sofa  just  opposite,  under  the  front  window,  and  here  and 
thus  for  an  hour  they  confei-red.  Mr.  Garrett  unfolded 
his  plans  for  establishing  terminal  facilities  ;  Mr.  Van- 
derbilt leaned  eagerly  forward  and  listened,  and  made 
suggestions. 

Xo  one  who  heard  their  quiet  conversation  could  have 


234  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

inferred  that  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  talking  to  the  son  of 
his  old  antagonist  in  transportation,  with  whom  he  had 
had  more  than  one  desperate  rate-cutting  battle.  Mr, 
Yanderbilt  was  speaking,  when  suddenly  his  visitor 
perceived  an  indistinctness  of  utterance.  Leaning  for- 
ward to  catch  his  meaning,  he  saw  the  muscles  about 
the  mouth  twitch  slightly.  Then  they  were  violently 
convulsed,  and  a  spasm  shot  through  the  frame.  In  an- 
other instant  the  stricken  man  plunged  forward,  witli- 
out  a  cry,  headlong  to  the  floor.  Mr.  Garrett  caught 
him  before  lie  struck,  but  before  he  could  lay  him  on 
the  rug  and  put  a  pillow  under  his  head  he  had  ceased 
to  breathe,  and  in  a  moment  the  pulse  was  still.  The 
family  were  summoned  ;  doctors  were  sent  for  ;  restoi'a- 
tives  were  tried  ;  in  vain  — the  man  was  dead. 

When  Dr.  McLean,  the  famih-  physician,  arrived,  he 
found  that  apoplexy  had  done  its  work — a  blood-vessel 
burst  in  the  head,  a  clot  of  blood  upon  the  brain,  and 
that  was  the  end.  Mrs.  Yanderbilt  fainted  M'hen  she 
heard  the  news  from  the  physician. 

It  was  generally  agreed  that  Mr.  Yanderbilt  had  been 
subjected  to  no  peculiar  annoyance  or  fatigue  during  the 
day  —  no  special  nervous  pressure.  Mr.  Ward  said  : 
"  Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  somewhat  out  of  breath  when  he 
came  in,  though  he  had  not  been  exerting  himself  more 
than  to  (j:et  out  of  his  carriao;e  and  walk  into  the  house 
here.  At  each  of  the  former  sittings  he  was  in  excellent 
spirits,  and  while  I  woi-ked  on  the  clay  model  he  talked 
about  horses  and  various  artistic  subjects,  especially 
paintings.  lie  never  seemed  to  tire  of  relating  his 
amusing  and  unusual  experiences  in  buying  the  works  of 
art  now  in  his  residence.     To  day,  however,  Mr.  Yau- 


PUBLIC    EXCITEMENT.  235 

derbilt  was  rather  silent,  and  after  a  few  minutes  seemed 
to  grow  drowsy.  I  asked  liim  whether  he  was  feeling 
well,  and  he  said  that  his  head  felt  a  little  queer,  but 
that  he  supposed  it  was  the  result  of  sitting  up  rather 
late  last  night,  and  M-ould  therefore  soon  wear  away. 
After  about  half  an  hour  he  grew  very  restless. 

"He  took  a  short  nap  in  his  chair,  then  roused  him- 
self and  asked  how  I  was  frettino-  alono-.     To  interest 

or?*  o 

him,  I  brought  out  a  picture  of  Maud  S.  and  asked  his 
opinion  of  it.  lie  thought  it  not  very  good,  and  said  he 
had  a  much  better  one.  From  this  we  began  discussing 
horses  and  fast  records,  and  the  possibilities  of  the 
future.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  now  much  more  wide 
awake,  but  as  he  was  not  feeling  his  best,  I  suggested 
that  he  cut  the  sitting  short,  and  I  could  do  very  well 
with  what  I  had.  He  lingered  a  few  moments  to  dis- 
cuss the  clay,  and  I  asked  him  if  that  was  his  first 
bust.  He  laughingly  asked  if  I  hadn't  heard  about  the 
one  at  the  Eden  Musee,  and  went  out." 

The  news  of  the  death  spread  with  mai'velous  i-apidity. 
By  dusk  everybody  in  town  knew  it.  By  dark  it  had 
been  telegraphed  to  the  ends  of  the  continent.  The  sons 
and  dauo'hters  hurried  home.  Cards  and  messao-es  of 
condolence  poured  into  the  saddened  house  by  the  hun- 
dred. Telegrams  came  from  remote  cities.  Scores  of 
friends  stopped  at  the  house  to  inquire  and  to  leave  mes- 
sages. There  was  no  attempt  to  intrude  on  the  suddenly- 
afflicted  household. 

Curiosity  and  interest  caused  crowds  to  gather  in  front, 
and  to  prevent  too  great  a  throng  an  officer  was  detailed 
to  patrol  the  walks.  He  had  no  trouble  in  preventing 
collections  of  people,  but  men    and  women  paced  up 


236  THE   VA]S'DERBILTS. 

and  down,  watched  the  bright  vestibule  and  darkened 
windows,  talked  in  bated  breath  of  the  sad  affair,  and 
wondered  what  he  had  done  with  his  fortune. 

All  night  that  ghostlj  policeman  walked  his  short 
beat  in  the  somber  shadows.  Scores  of  people  came 
and  whispered  together  under  the  gas-lamp,  noiselessly 
made  inquiries  of  the  sentry,  gazed  up  at  the  drawn  cur- 
tains, watched  the  callers — some  of  them  closely-veiled 
ladies — coming  and  going  on  foot  and  in  carriages,  and 
listened  to  the  newsboy's  dissonant  cry,  not  five  rods 
away,  "Extry  !  Extry !  Death  of  William  H.  Vander- 
bilt  ! " 

Within  three  blocks  a  meeting  of  magnates  was  held 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  a  fall  in  prices,  and  it  was 
agreed  by  the  syndicate  to  buy  three  hundred  thousand 
shares,  if  necessary,  to  sustain  the  market.  It  was  said 
that  $12,000,000  was  pledged  for  the  use  of  the  pool. 
The  solitary  patrol  marched  to  and  fro.  The  hoarse 
announcement  of  the  newspaper  came  up  the  street, 
and  now  and  then  a  messenger  boy  darted  out  of  the 
darkness  and  back  again,  and  vanished  on  his  way. 

The  funeral  was  very  simple — as  simple  as  his  father's 
— as  simple  as  the  last  rites  over  the  body  of  a  man  of 
such  plain  tastes  should  have  been.  Xo  needed  expense 
was  spared,  but  nothing  was  wasted.  Friends  were  re- 
quested not  to  send  flowers.  The  body  was  not  em- 
balmed. The  coffin  was  exceedingly  plain,  of  cedar  witli 
elliptic  ends,  draped  in  black  English  l)roadcloth,  and 
lined  with  white  satin. 

On  the  morning  of  the  11th  the  family  assembled 
around  the  remains  of  the  dead  for  a  farewell  and  a 
brief  prayer.    Then  the  undertaker  closed  the  casket,  the 


THE   LAST   RITES.  237 

pall  bearers  removed  it  to  the  nndecorated  liearse,  and 
the  cortege  moved  through  the  crowd  to  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's Church,  where  the  most  simple  public  ceremonies 
were  held  by  Bishop  Potter.  U]X)n  the  casket  was  a 
bank  of  fresh  violets,  a  bunch  of  palms,  and  a  wreath 
of  myrtle,  and  a  cross  of  white  roses  was  at  the  foot. 
The  regular  burial  service  of  the  church  was  read,  and 
there  was  no  eulogy  of  the  deceased.  The  following 
gentlemen  served  as  pall-bearers  :  Chauncev  M.  Depew, 
Samuel  F.  Burger,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  C.  C.  Clarke, 
Charles  A.  Rapallo,  John  P.  Brady,  William  Turnbull, 
William  L.  Scott,  William  Bliss,  D.  O.  Mills,  George 
J.  Magee,  Stephen  D.  Caldwell. 

From  the  crowded  church  down  crowded  streets  again 
moved  the  procession  to  the  foot  of  Forty-second  Street, 
where  the  ferry-boat  Southfield  was  in  waiting — the 
same  boat  that  had  taken  the  remains  of  Commodore 
Vanderbilt  to  the  same  destination.  Again  the  boat 
was  crowded  with  mourners ;  again  the  pilot  rang  his 
bell,  and  they  moved  out  into  the  stream,  carrying  the 
remains  of  the  dead  millionaire  from  the  city  where  he 
had  lived  and  labored  and  doubled  the  enormous  for- 
tune that  had  been  left  him,  to  the  lovely  island  where 
he  had  spent  so  many  years,  and  which  now  was  to  be 
his  final  resting-place  on  earth. 

The  body  was  placed  in  the  public  vault  of  the  little 
Moravian  cemetery  at  Kew  Dorp,  and  a  simple  service 
was  said  by  the  local  clergyman.  Everything  was  quiet 
and  unpretentious.  A  stranger  passing  by  and  looking 
over  the  low  wall  would  never  have  imagined  that  the 
simple  rites  that  were  taking  place  Mere  over  the  re- 
mains of  the  richest  man  in  the  world,  nor  have  dreamed 


238  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

of  the  immense  wealtli  represented  by  the  sorrowing 
gronp. 

When  the  family  and  friends  returned  to  the  city,  a 
watch  of  armed  men  was  set  over  the  vault,  and  they 
paused  in  their  solemn  pacing  to  and  fro  in  the  cold 
night,  turned  a  bull's-eye  lantern  on  the  faces  of  curious 
strollers,  and  answered  their  questions.  For  several 
months  this  armed  guard  will  be  on  duty  night  and  day 
protecting  the  body  of  the  dead  from  tlie  hyena  rapacity 
of  the  living,  until  the  completion  of  the  mausoleum  on 
the  adjoining  hill  which  Mr.  Yanderbilt  began  some 
months  since  as  the  final  home  of  the  Commodore  and 
his  descendants. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

THE   WILL. 

Two  Hundred  Million  Dollars  given  Away — The  great  Burden  Dis- 
tributed— Widow,  Children,  and  Relatives  well  provided  For — 
The  "  Residue  "  of  a  Hundred  Millions — Charities — The  Testa- 
tor's Purposes  and  Dreams. 

How  the  great  property  had  been  divided  by  the  will 
was  the  question  that  now  excited  unusual  interest.  The 
bequest  of  $200,000,000  was  unprecedented  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  and  for  three  days  the  public  dis- 
cussed all  the  possibilities  with  eagerness,  and  the  news- 
papers of  all  the  land  published  every  fact  and  rumor 
that  could  tend  to  the  solution  of  the  mystery. 

It  was  well  known  that  the  Commodore  had  been  an 
advocate  of  primogeniture — the  special  advancement  of 
the  eldest  son — not  l)ecause  he  cherished  the  old  feudal 
superstition  that  the  eldest- born  liad  superior  rights, 
but  because  he  believed  that,  if  equally  capable,  such  a 
single  heir  would  be  more  likely  to  keep  a  vast  inherit- 
ance intact,  and  thus  the  better  to  maintain  the  power 
of  the  family.  It  was  obvious  that  the  Commodore  had 
carried  this  conviction  into  effect  in  devising  the  bulk  of 
his  estate  to  William  II.,  giving  to  his  other  children 
only  enough  to  insure  their  comfort ;  and  it  was  further 
known  that  he  had  discriminated  in  his  will  in  favor  of 
his  young  namesake,  the  eldest  son  of  his  eldest  son,  and 
had  indicated  him  as  the  future  head  of  the  house. 


240  THE   VAIS^DERBILTS, 

This  son,  Cornelius,  was  understood  to  liave  weathered 
the  financial  storm  of  1883  more  safely  than  his 
brothers,  and  to  have  retained  and  augmented  his  in- 
heritance in  a  way  that  indicated  shrewdness  and  thrift. 
This  was  quoted  in  support  of  the  assumption  that  he 
"would  now  inherit  one-half,  perhaps  three  fourths,  of  the 
tremendous  wealth  which  his  father  and  grandfather 
had  accumulated.  Moreover,  it  was  alleged,  bv  those 
who  thought  themselves  in  a  position  to  know,  that  at 
least  one  will  had  been  signed  and  attested  within  five 
3'ears  which  executed  the  Commodore's  wish  to  have 
the  estate  entailed  in  a  direct  line.  And  it  was  not 
known  that  this  will  had  been  destroyed  and  super- 
seded. AVhen  the  leo-al  will  was  brouo-ht  from  the  Safe 
Deposit  Vaults  and  read — the  last  of  nine  wills  that  had 
been  made  in  six  years — great  was  the  public  astonish- 
ment. It  overthrew  primogeniture,  by  dividing  half  of 
the  property  equally  between  the  two  eldest  sons. 

The  family  were  not  surprised.  They  knew  that  the 
testator  had  honestly  experimented  with  primogeniture 
and  had  been  himself  a  victim  of  it.  His  doctor  alleged 
that  he  had  died  of  overwork.  Originally  equipped 
with  a  superb  constitution,  fine  physique,  and  extraordi- 
nary muscular  power,  his  health  and  strength  had  de- 
clined from  the  day  that  he  took  charge  of  his  father's 
business.  Ills  appetite  had  failed  him.  Dyspepsia  had 
assailed  liim.  His  sleep  was  broken.  Pleasure  had  lost 
its  zest.  In  eight  years  he  had  lived  twenty.  Constant 
worry  had  laid  the  foundation  of  arterial  changes  that 
resulted  in  a  rupture  of  a  large  vessel  in  his  brain  and 
sudden  death. 

He  felt  a  premonition  of  his  doom,  and  he  said  to  his 


THE   GREAT   BEQUEST.  241 

family  :  "  The  care  of  $200,000,000  is  too  great  a  load 
for  any  brain  or  back  to  bear.  It  is  enough  to  kill  a 
man.  I  have  no  son  whom  I  am  willing  to  afflict  with 
the  terrible  burden.  There  is  no  pleasnre  to  be  got  out 
of  it  as  an  offset — no  good  of  any  kind.  I  have  no  real 
gratification  or  enjoyments  of  any  sort  more  than  my 
neighbor  on  the  next  block  who  is  wortii  only  half  a 
million.  So  when  1  Lay  down  this  lieavy  responsibility, 
I  want  my  sons  to  divide  it,  and  share  the  wony  whicli 
it  will  cost  to  keep  it." 

On  the  day  succeeding  his  funeral,  Satnrday.  the  12th, 
the  will  was  carried  to  the  Probate  Coui-t  by  Channcey 
M.  Depew  and  the  four  sons  of  deceased.  It  covered 
nineteen  pages  of  foolscap,  type-written,  and  contained 
about  six  thonsand  words.  A  petition  for  probate  was 
signed  by  the  four  sons  and  verified  by  their  oath,  set- 
ting forth  that  the  will  was  signed  September  25,  1S85, 
in  presence  of  the  i-eqnired  witnesses  ;  that  it  bore  no 
codicil ;  that  the  names  of  the  heirs-at-law  and  next  of 
kin  were,  in  the  order  of  age,  Marie  Louise  Yanderbilt, 
the  widow,  living  at  No.  640  Fifth  Avenue  ;  Cornelius 
Yanderbilt,  a  son,  living  at  Xo.  1  West  Fifty-seventh 
Street ;  Margaret  Louise  Shepard,  a  daughter,  living  at 
No.  2  West  Fifty-second  Street;  William  Kissani  Yan- 
derbilt, a  son,  living  at  iSo.  660  Fifth  Avenue  ;  Emily 
Thorn  Sloane,  a  daughter,  living  at  ISo.  642  Fifth 
Avenue;  Florence  Adele  Twombly,  a  daughter,  living 
at  No.  684  Fifth  Avenue  ;  Frederick  W.  Yanderbilt,  a 
son,  living  at  No.  459  Fifth  Avenue  ;  Eliza  O.  Webb,  a 
daughter,  living  at  No.  680  Fifth  Avenue  ;  and  George 
W.  Yanderbilt,  a  son,  living  at  No.  640  Fifth  Avenue. 

Provision  is  first  made  for  the  widow.  To  her  de- 
ll 


242  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

cedent  gives  for  use  during  life  the  house  in  which  lie 
resided  at  the  time  of  his  death,  the  pictures  and  other 
works  of  art,  the  horses,  carriages,  and  stables,  and  he 
leaves  to  lier  an  annual  allowance  of  $200,000,  and  the 
privilege  of  disposing  of  $500,000  absolutely,  bj  will,  to 
any  one  whom  she  may  desire  thus  to  benefit. 

To  each  of  his  four  daugliters  he  leaves  the  houses  in 
which  they  are  now  living,  near  his  own  residence  ;  but 
he  adds  a  condition  which  shows  that  he  shares  his 
father's  incredulity  as  to  the  business  ability  of  women, 
directing  that  the  portion  intended  for  his  j^onngest 
daughter  shall  not  be  delivered  to  her  till  she  attain  the 
age  of  thirty,  and  if  she  die  cliildless  before  that  time 
her  portion  shall  revert  to  the  estate. 

The  testator  sets  apart  $40,000,000  of  certain  specified 
securities,  and  directs  that  it  be  divided  into  eight  equal 
parts  and  distributed  to  his  children,  giving  to  each  one 
five  million  dollars  absolutely. 

He  then  sets  apart  another  $40,000,000  of  railroad 
aud  otlier  securities  as  a  trust  fund.  This  is  to  be  di- 
vided into  eight  equal  parts,  held  by  trustees,  and  each 
child  is  to  receive  the  interest  on  $5,000,000  during  life, 
in  addition  to  the  $5,000,000  absolutely  given.  This 
makes  an  annual  income  of  about  $500,000  for  each. 
The  principal  goes  to  the  children  of  the  eight,  as  each 
of  them  may  direct  by  will.  If  any  son  die  without 
leaving  children,  his  portion  of  the  trust  fund  is  to  be 
divided  among  surviving  brothers  or  their  children. 
The  same  direction  applies  to  the  daughters'  shares. 

After  the  death  of  the  widow,  the  works  of  art  (ex- 
cepting the  marble  bust  of  Connnodore  Yanderbilt, 
which    is    given    to    Cornelius),    the    family   residence. 


THE   DISTRIBUTIOT^.  243 

stables,  etc.,  in  wliicli  she  has  a  life  estate,  are  be- 
queathed to  her  youngest  son,  George  Vanderbilt,  or  to 
liis  children  if  he  be  dead.  If  he  die  without  issue, 
William  11.  Vanderbilt,  the  eldest  son  of  Cornelius,  will 
I'eceive  this  property,  and  $2,000,000  besides.  The  tes- 
tator further  gives  $1,000,000  to  this  favorite  grandson, 
absolutely,  on  attaining  the  age  of  thirty  years.  If  he 
be  not  living  at  the  time  when  such  bequests  Avould  fall 
to  him,  then  they  shall  go  instead  to  the  next  son  of 
Cornelius,  who  bears  the  same  name  as  his  father. 
"  My  object  being,"  the  testator  says,  recurring  to  the 
spirit  of  the  Commodore,  "  that  my  present  residence 
and  my  collection  of  works  of  art  be  retained  and  main- 
tained by  a  male  descendant  bearing  the  name  of  Van- 
derbilt.'' 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  also  gives  $2,000,000  to  his  eldest  son 
Cornelius  in  addition  to  all  other  bequests  ;  §30,000  to 
William  V.  Kissam,  a  nephew  ;  to  his  brother,  Jacob  II. 
Vanderbilt,  the  dividends  during  life  on  1,000  shares  of 
Kew  York  Central ;  an  annuity  of  $2,000  to  his  Annt 
Phebe  and  each  of  twelve  other  relatives,  and  of  $1,200 
to  othei-s  ;  and  to  his  secretary,  E.  V.  W.  Ilossiter,  $10,- 
000. 

He  gives  $200,000  to  the  Vanderbilt  University,  of 
Tennessee,  which  his  father  founded.  To  the  follow- 
ing, $100,000  each  is  bequeathed.  To  the  Domestic  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  ;  St.  Luke's  Hospital ;  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  of  Js^ew  York ;  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Mission  Society  of  ]^ew  l^ork  ;  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art,  and  the  Moravian  Church  at  Xew 
Dorp.     The  following  get  $50,000  each  :  The  General 


244  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

Theological  Seminary  ;  the  Xew  Yoi-k  Bible  and  Com- 
mon Prayer  Book  Society  ;  the  Home  for  Inciirables ; 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  Missionary  Society  for 
Seamen  in  the  City  and  Port  of  New  York  ;  the  New 
York  Christian  Home  for  Intemperate  Men.  and  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 

Thus  about  half  the  property  is  disposed  of.  The 
vast  remainder  is  divided  and  given  in  two  equal  shares 
to  the  two  eldest  sons,  Cornelius  Yanderbilt  and  William 
K.  Yanderbilt,  giving  them  about  §50,000,000  apiece  in 
addition  to  their  present  large  fortunes.  It  is  estimated 
that  Cornelius  Yanderbilt  cannot  have  less  than  $80,- 
000,000 — nearly  as  much  as  his  father  received  from  the 
Commodore. 

The  widow  and  the  four  sons  are  made  executrix  and 
executors,  and  each  son  is  made  one  of  the  trustees  for 
all  the  trust  funds  except  those  for  his  own  benefit.  If 
they  qualify  they  shall  serve  without  compensation. 

The  New  York  Sun,  alluding  to  this  will,  said  : 

"  Never  was  such  a  last  testament  known  of  mortal.  Kings 
Lave  died  with  full  treasuries,  Emperors  have  fled  their  realms 
with  bursting  coffers,  great  financiers  have  i^layed  with  mil- 
lions, bankers  have  reaped  and  sowed  and  reaped  again,  great 
houses  with  vast  acres  have  grown  and  grown  and  still  exist ; 
but  never  before  was  such  a  spectacle  presented  of  a  jilain,  or- 
dinary man  dispensing,  of  his  own  free  will,  in  bulk  and  mag- 
nitude that  the  mind  wholly  fails  to  apprehend,  tangible  mil- 
lions upon  millions  of  palpable  money.     It  is  simjily  grotesque. 

"  The  numerical  significance  of  a  million  is  incomprehensi- 
ble ;  it  can  only  be  measured  relatively  and  by  illustration,  and 
when  it  comes  to  dealing  with  himdreds  of  millions,  the  under- 
standing is  overwhelmed  and  helpless.  Mr.  Yanderbilt  gave 
them  right  and  left,  as  if  they  were  ripe  apples." 


THE   VICTIM    OF   CHURLS.  245 

For  a  week  after  the  pii1)lication  of  tlie  will,  its  pro- 
visions were  a  leading  topic  of  popular  discussion  through- 
out the  country.  It  was  taken  up  and  picked  to  pieces, 
approved  and  criticised,  with  as  much  s})irit  as  would 
have  been  manifested  if  the  parties  to  the  dispute  had 
all  been  legatees.  One  thought  the  property  should 
have  been  equally  divided  among  the  children  ;  another 
that  Cornelius  should  have  had  almost  all  of  it,  to  carry 
out  the  Commodore's  dream  ;  another  that  it  should 
have  been  distributed  among  the  whole  population  of 
the  countr}',  "  and  it  would  have  given  $4:  to  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  in  the  United  States  ;  "  another  that 
it  should  have  been  directed  more  to  objects  of  public 
benevolence.     In  this  last,  many  concurred. 

To  those  who  knew  him  best,  it  seemed  a  wonder 
that  the  testator  was  not  so  wholly  embittered  as  to 
refuse  to  make  any  provisions  in  his  will  for  public 
charities.  He  had  been  harried  and  abused  by  the 
press,  whenever  he  had  tried  to  do  any  generous  action. 
Every  announcement  that  he  had  made  a  donation  to 
science  or  medicine,  to  art  or  music,  was  met  by  the 
churlish  connnent,  "  It's  nothing  for  him  !  "  and  "  Why 
didn't  he  give  ten  times  as  nmch  ?  "  Instead  of  gi-ati- 
tude,  lie  got  sneers  ;  instead  of  decent  treatment,  in- 
sults. The  demand  of  the  loudest-talking,  if  not  the 
most  influential,  of  the  press  of  the  city,  seemed  to  be 
that  he  could  atone  for  the  heinous  crime  of  being  rich, 
only  by  giving  away  all  of  his  property  at  once  to  any- 
body who  chose  to  ask  for  it.  So  it  is  a  marvel  that  he 
did  not  become  wholly  hardened  and  cynical,  and  refuse 
to  consider  any  schemes  for  the  special  benefit  of  the 
public. 


246  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

On  the  contrarj',  his  mind  was  busy  with  such  pur- 
poses, trying  constantly  to  give  permanent  foi-ni  to  the 
liberal  thought.  "  The  great  trouble  of  our  time,"  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  saying,  "  is  that  there  are  too  many 
people  idle.  There  are  few  skilled  mechanics  among 
them  ;  most  of  the  tramps  and  loafers  are  those  who 
are  unskilled,  w^ho  have  not  been  trained  to  do  aiiy 
difficult  thing,  and  do  it  well.  "What  is  especially 
needed,  is  to  have  all  boys  and  girls  of  all  classes  of 
societj'  taught  some  sort  of  difficult  trade — given  special 
training,  so  that  they  can  fall  back  on  work  whenever 
necessary."  To  this  end  he  considei-ed  the  expediency 
of  establishing  some  great  tool-house,  where  poor  chil- 
dren might  be  taught  trades ;  but  he  gave  it  up  because 
he  came  to  think  that  such  training  should  be  conferred 
b^'  a  modification  of  the  public  school  system. 

But  inquiry  shows  that  Mr.  Vanderbilt  wished  and 
meant  to  associate  his  name  with  some  great  gift  to  the 
city  of  New  Yoi-k  which  should  be  at  once  unique  and 
pre-eminent ;  and  this  generous  ambition  at  last,  two  or 
three  }ears  before  his  death,  took  the  form  of  a  public 
Museum,  like  the  British  Museum,  to  be,  like  that,  of 
incalculable  value  as  an  educator  of  youth.  lie  decided 
to  build  such  a  museum  of  magnificent  dimensions  on 
the  block  opposite  to  his  house  on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  to 
endow  it  with  ^5,000,000.  This  would  be  a  far  greater 
endowment  than  that  possessed  by  any  other  museum 
in  the  woild,  and  it  might  be  expected  in  a  few  years  to 
excel  all  others  in  the  extent  and  value  of  its  collections. 

The  delay  in  realizing  this  superb  vision,  and  finally 
its  failure  through  death,  resulted  from  the  impossibility 
of  obtaining  the  land.     It  belongs  to  the  citv,  but  is 


A   DEFEATED   PURPOSE.  247 

rented  to  the  llomaii  Catholics  for  an  orphan  asylum, 
for  990  yeai's,  at  the  lental  of  $1  a  year.  Tiie  asyluni 
people  would  not  relinquish  the  advantages  of  their  fine 
bai'gain,  and  the  city  was  helpless  ;  so,  after  persisting 
for  two  years,  Mr.  Yanderbilt  suspended  the  plan  till  he 
could  find  another  acceptable  site,  and  New  York  lost 
one  of  the  most  valuable  monuments  of  industry  and  art 
that  it  was  within  the  power  of  man  to  rear. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

ESTIMATE   OF   HIS   CHARACTER.  ^ 

Temperate  Habits — Abstemious — Domestic — Tribute  of  the  Directors 
— Opinions  of  Jay  Gould  and  Russell  Sage — Letter  to  Matthew 
Riley — A  Much  Abused  Man— Fond  of  Opera — The  Student 
Waiters — The  Undelivered  Apple-Jack. 

The  general  habits  and  personal  character  of  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  will  not  be  doubtful  to  those  who  have 
attentively  read  the  preceding  pages. 

He  used  no  tobacco  in  any  form.  He  was  abstemious 
at  table.  Few  men  ate  less,  he  taking  no  meat  some- 
times for  days  together.  He  never  partook  of  rich  foods 
or  hot  breads.  He  was  fond  of  shell-fish  and  of  the 
cereals  in  a  coarse  form,  with  milk.  He  retained  simple 
tastes,  and  seldom  drank  wine  or  liquor  of  any  sort.  He 
was  not  in  anj-  sense  a  high  liver. 

He  weighed  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds, 
and  often  complained  that  he  did  not  get  enough  physi- 
cal exercise.  His  chief  recreation  was  the  opera,  of 
wdiicli  he  was  fond.  His  physician,  Dr.  McLane,  said  : 
"I  did  not  think  he  needed  medicine  when  I  first  diag- 
nosed his  case  in  1870,  and  I  have  never  thought  so  since  ; 
therefore,  I  prescribed  as  little  as  possible.  My  theory 
was  that  he  needed  rest  and  relaxation.  I  believed  he 
liad  too  much  to  think  of,  and  that  under  the  weight  of 
such  important  cares  as  his  great  interests  involved  liis 


THE   MANNER   OF   MAN.  249 

health  had  been  affected  in  such  a  way  that  only  com- 
plete rest  and  freedom  from  worry  would  restore  it.  I 
saw  him  on  Sunday,  and  congratulated  him  on  his  ap- 
pearance, lie  seemed  to  be  *in  excellent  health,  and  in 
iine  spirits  over  the  successful  transfer  of  the  AVest  Shore 
property  and  the  solution  of  that  puzzling  and  annoying 
problem.  The  suddenness  of  his  death  shocked  me. 
Those  who  saw  him  shaking  with  laughter  over  the 
'  Queen  of  Sheba '  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  last 
Wednesday  night  will  agree  with  me  that  his  appear- 
ance indicated  quite  a  lease  of  life  on  earth." 

In  his  liome  life  Mr.  Yanderbilt  set  an  example 
worthy  of  ennilation  by  many  men  of  less  affairs.  He 
was  exceedingly  domestic,  and  devoted  to  his  home  and 
family.  It  was  a  very  pressing  matter  of  business  in- 
deed which  got  him  out  of  his  home  at  night.  He  used 
to  stay  at  home  and  play  whist  every  evening  after  din- 
ner. He  was  passionately  fond  of  a  good  rubber,  and 
played  with  considerable  skill. 

Unlike  the  iron  Commodore,  he  always  felt  that  his 
children  had  rights.  He  was  kindly,  conciliatory,  and 
indulgent  in  liis  relations  with  them,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  greatest  affairs  always  found  time  to  look  after 
their  welfare  and  enjoyment,  to  bend  to  their  humors 
and  fancies,  and  to  make  their  hours  happy.  Instead 
of  fearing  him,  they  loved  him.  As  a  host  he  was  always 
cordial  to  friends  and  acquaintances,  affable  to  strangers, 
and  approachable  and  accessible  to  all.  He  did  not 
bi'ing  his  shop  to  the  fireside. 

Pie  was  a  fair  story-teller,  and  while  not  a  picturesque 

or  poetical  talker,  he  was  fluent  and  vigorous  of  speech, 

and  capable  of  conveying  a  vivid  impression  of  his  ex- 
it* 


250  THE   VANDEKBILTS. 

periences.  He  was  fond  of  recalling  the  amusing  inci- 
dents of  his  travels  in  Europe  before  any  of  the  family 
spoke  French  or  German,  and  when  favorably  launched 
upon  the  after-dinner  tide  he  could  agreeably  entertain 
a  table-full. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  better  way  of  conveying  an  ade- 
quate idea  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  character  as  it  was  under- 
stood by  those  who  worked  with  him  and  saw  much  of 
him  than  by  copying  here  the  following  expression  of 
their  regard  uttered  by  the  directors  of  eleven  railroad 
companies  assembled  together  on  the  day  after  his  death. 
Cynics  can,  if  they  choose,  make  some  grains  of  allow- 
ance on  the  ground  that  this  estimate  was  uttered  by  his 
associates  and  beneficiaries — but,  in  the  main,  the  words 
are  no  doubt  true  : 

"  His  sudden  death  in  the  very  midst  of  the  activities 
whose  influence  reached  over  the  entire  continent  has 
startled  the  whole  country,  and  in  the  hush  of  strife  and 
passions  the  press  and  public  give  tender  sympathy  to 
the  bereaved  family  and  pay  just  and  deserved  tribute 
to  his  memory.  But  to  us,  who  were  his  associates  and 
friends,  endeared  to  him  by  the  strongest  ties  and  years 
of  intimacy,  the  event  is  an  appalling  calamity,  full  of 
sorrow  and  the  profoundest  sense  of  personal  loss,  while 
officially  we  feel  that  his  sagacity,  his  strong  common 
sense,  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business,  his  will- 
ingness to  lend  of  his  vast  resources  in  times  of  peril,  and 
his  counsel  and  assistance,  were  of  invaluable  and  incal- 
culable service  in  conducting  and  sustaining  these  great 
enterprises. 

"  He  came  into  the  possession  of  the  largest  estate  ever 
devised  to  a  single  individual,  and  has  administered  the 


TESTIMONY    OF    ASSOCIATES.  251 

great  trust  with  modesty,  without  arrogance,  and  with 
generosity,  lie  never  used  his  riches  as  a  means  of  op- 
pression, or  to  destroy  or  injure  the  enterprises  or  busi- 
ness of  others,  but  it  constantly  flowed  into  the  enlai-ge- 
ment  of  old,  and  the  construction  and  development  of 
new  works,  public  in  theii-  character,  which  opened  new 
avenues  of  local  and  national  wealth,  and  gave  oppor- 
tunity and  employment  directly  and  indirectly  to  mill- 
ions of  people.  In  keeping  together  and  strengthening, 
during  a  period  of  unparalleled  connnercial  depression 
and  disintegration,  the  combination  of  railways  known 
as  the  Yanderbilt  system,  which  he  inherited  from  his 
father,  greatly  extended,  and  transmitted  to  trained  and 
worthy  successors,  he  performed  a  work  of  the  highest 
beneficence  to  the  investors  and  producers  of  the  whole 
country. 

"  None  of  his  accumulations  were  derived  from  his 
injustice  to  others,  from  conspiracies  against  associates, 
from  ci'ushing  out  the  w^eak,  but  the  humblest  stock- 
holder shared  in  equal  proportion  in  whatever  benefited 
the  common  property, 

"  But  it  is  not  alone  for  his  sense,  judgment,  and  jus- 
tice in  the  vast  business  with  which  he  was  connected 
that  he  will  be  remembered.  His  many  and  unostenta- 
tious charities  are  known  only  to  the  beneficiaries,  but 
the  Yanderbilt  University,  the  Egyptian  Obelisk  in  the 
Central  Park,  and  the  Medical  College  in  New  York  will 
remain  among  the  endui-ing  monuments  of  his  public 
spirit.  AVhen  he  had  gathered  in  his  galleries  the  lar- 
gest and  best  collection  of  modern  art  in  the  woi'ld  it  was 
his  greatest  gratification  to  invite  the  public  to  enjo}', 
in  equal  measure  with  himself,  those  priceless  treasures. 


252  THE   VAISTDEEBILTS. 

"  To  the  employes  of  liis  railroads  lie  was  exacting 
in  discipline  and  the  performance  of  duty.  He  was 
merciless  to  negligence  or  bad  habits  in  a  vocation  where 
millions  of  lives  were  dependent  upon  alertness  and  fidel- 
ity. But  within  these  limits  he  was  a  just  and  gener- 
ous employer  and  superior  officer.  He  knew  how  to 
reward  faithfulness  and  remember  good  conduct,  and 
always  held  the  respect  and  allegiance  of  the  vast  bodies 
of  men  who  called  him  chief.  The  successful  adminis- 
tration of  the  railways  under  his  management  and  the 
affairs  of  his  life  was  largely  due  to  his  rare  knowledge 
of  men  and  his  ability  to  recognize  the  qualities  needed 
in  the  control  of  great  trusts. 

"  With  all  the  temptations  which  surronnd  nnlimited 
wealth,  his  home  life  was  simple,  and  no  happier  domes- 
tic circle  could  any  where  be  found.  The  loved  compan- 
ion with  whom  he  began  his  active  life  in  the  lirst  dawn 
of  his  manhood  was  his  help,  comfort,  and  happiness 
through  all  his  career,  and  his  childi'en  have  one  and  all 
honored  their  father  and  their  mother  and  taken  the 
places  which  they  worthily  fill  in  their  several  spheres 
of  activity  and  nsefulness. 

"  In  performing  this  last  and  saddest  of  duties,  we 
who  were  his  associates,  advisers,  and  friends  remember 
not  the  millionaire,  but  the  man.  His  frankness,  his 
unaffected  simplicity,  his  deference  to  the  opinions  of 
others,  his  consideration  for  the  feelings  of  all,  his  ten- 
derness in  suffering  and  affliction,  and,  his  whole-hearted 
manliness,  were  to  us  precious  privileges  in  his  life,  and 
are  loving  recollections  in  his  death." 

Arrangements  had  been  made  by  lieavy  holders  of 
stocks  to  buy  freely  if  the  market  showed  a  decline  on 


A   PLOT   OF   THE  BEARS.  253 

Wednesda}'.  Early  in  the  morning  there  was  an  excited 
crowd  in  the  vicinity  of  AVall  and  jS^ew  Streets,  and  wlien 
the  corridoj's  and  galleries  were  opened  at  9.30  there 
was  a  wild  scramble  of  those  eager  to  obtain  entrance. 
The  scene  has  not  been  paralleled  since  the  panic  of  '73, 
and  in  fifteen  minntes  every  available  foot  of  room  was 
occupied.  In  the  melee  hats  were  knocked  off,  clothing 
torn,  and  a  few  persons  slightly  injured.  On  the  floor 
the  throng  was  thickest  about  the  Yanderbilt  proper- 
ties, and  when  the  first  roll  of  the  gong  was  heard,  an- 
nouncing the  liour  for  business,  the  Lake  Shore  corner 
resembled  a  bear-pit,  being  filled  with  a  jostling,  yelling 
crowd  of  frantic  men.  The  first  recorded  quotation  was 
at  85,  as  against  88,  the  closing  figure  of  Tuesday  after- 
noon, for  stock  sold  half  an  hour  after  Mr.  Yanderbilt  was 
dead  ;  but  the  collusion  of  the  large  operators  was  in- 
stantly apparent,  for  purchases  were  rapid,  and  the  stock 
rallied  and  rose  to  86,  then  to  87.  The  behavior  of 
JS^ew  York  Central  and  the  other  Yanderbilt  stocks  was 
about  the  same.  At  first,  for  an  hour,  they  went  off,  but 
the  strong  hand  of  Gould,  Sage,  and  Field  was  felt,  and 
they  all  rapidly  recovered  their  ground.  And  when  the 
great  gong  rang  again  at  3  o'clock  brokers  looked  at 
eadi  other  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  and  said :  "  It  wasn't 
much  of  a  shower  after  all."' 

Jay  Gould  said,  shortly  before  the  close  of  business  : 
"  This  rapid  recovery  demonstrates  to  me  very  clearly 
the  wonderful  growth  of  this  country.  Its  richest  man 
is  dead,  but  in  spite  of  the  calamity  the  stock  market  is 
likely  to  close  higher  than  j^esterday,  when  his  death 
was  not  anticipated.  A  few  years  ago  the  result  might 
have  been  very  different." 


254  THE   VATSTDERBILTS. 

Russell  Sage,  one  of  the  shrewdest  men  in  America, 
and  liimself  the  possessor  of  a  fortune  of  not  less  than 
$50,000,000,  said:  "  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  a  very  remark- 
able man,  of  far  more  original  force  and  financial  ability 
than  any  one  imagined  when  he  succeeded  to  his  father's 
millions.  I  don't  know  that  any  one  ever  thought  of 
comparing  him  to  the  Commodore,  whose  genius  in 
finance  was  really  beyond  comparison.  He  was  to 
finance  what  Shakespeare  was  to  poetry  and  Michael 
Angelo  to  art.  But  William  H.  was  certainl}^  an  able 
successor.  He  doubled  the  colossal  fortune  that  was 
left  him,  and  that  proves  an  executive  skill  that  only 
one  man  in  a  million  possesses.  1  have  had  more  or 
less  to  do  with  him,  and  the  three  qualities  I  observed 
as  most  striking  in  his  character  were  his  readiness,  his 
reliability,  and  his  courage.  That  is  to  say,  he  always 
met  an  emergency  with  a  plan  ;  he  always  kept  his 
word  to  the  very  letter,  and  he  possessed  such  a  fund  of 
decision  and  persistence  that,  having  undertaken  to  do 
a  thing,  and  having  made  np  his  mind  how  it  was  to  be 
done,  he  went  right  ahead  and  put  it  through  on  the 
lines  he  had  laid  down.  I  think  that  his  rare  success  in 
manipulating  his  great  fortune  was  due  to  these  quali- 
ties." 

The  relations  of  Matthew  Riley,  the  broker,  to  the 
dead  millionaire  throw  some  interesting  side-lights  upon 
his  character.  Mr.  Riley  is  a  lover  of  horses,  and  he 
and  Mr.  Vanderbilt  were  for  years  warm  friends.  In 
1876  Mr.  Riley  went  to  Philadelphia  and  became  man- 
ager of  the  Exposition  Hotel.     Of  this  he  says: 

"  I  was  quite  successful  with  the  house,  and  every- 
thing going  smoothly,  when  one  day  I  got  one  of  his 


GENEROSITY.  255 

regular  monthly  letters  that  always  brought  sunshine 
and  encoui'ageinent  to  nie.  It  stated  that  Dan  Mace 
had  that  day  driven  his  team,  Hutledge  and  Dickens,  a 
mile  in  2.2U.  I  sat  right  down  and  wrote  him,  offei'ing 
congratulations  on  the  team,  asking  him  if  he  was  com- 
ing to  Philadelphia  that  summer,  and  ui'ging  liim  to  be 
my  guest  if  he  did  come;  also  telling  him  of  a  fast  horse 
1  had  seen  that  M'ould  please  him.  The  letter  brought 
this  reply  from  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  written  fi'om  452  Fifth 
Aveime,  the  house  the  Commodore  had  given  him.  It 
was  not  dated,  but  you  will  see  from  the  contents  that 
it  was  the  summer  of  '76." 

The  letter   referred  to  was  as  follows  : 

M.  ErLET. 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  very  kind  note  of  yesterday  i.s  just  re- 
ceived, and  I  assure  you  I  am  veiy  much  pleased  to  hear  that 
you  are  so  prosperous  in  yoiu-  business.  Let  me  give  you  a  word 
of  good  advice.  These  are  hard  times,  and  but  very  few  are 
prosperous.  Don't  let  this  opportunity  slip.  Give  up  your 
horse  and  all  other  unnecessary  expenses,  and  put  away  for  a 
rainy  day  every  dollar  that  you  can  save  from  your  business. 
This  summer  is  your  harvest.  You  know  what  it  is  to  struggle 
against  adversity.  Now  is  the  time  to  save  something  ahead. 
Don't  neglect  it,  and  you  will  always  thank  me  for  pressing  it 
upon  you.  Your  account  of  the  horse — he  must  be  a  good  one. 
If  he  was  here  I  would  try  him  a  week  or  two,  and  if  he  suited 
me  would  buy  him  at  a  fair  price.  My  team,  Kutledge  and 
Dickens,  are  fine,  but  I  want  a  third  horse  to  come  in  with 
them.  Father's  health  is  such  that  I  can  make  no  plans  for  this 
summer.  I  am  afraid  he  will  not  get  out  again,  but  we  must 
hope  for  the  best.  He  is  of  so  much  vitality  and  game  that  he 
may  outlive  the  disease.  I  am  really  glad  you  are  doing  well. 
Now,  take  my  advice  and  lay  up  a  good  nest-egg.  Do  away 
with  luxuries  that  are  really  of  no  use  until  you  get  in  position 
where  the  enjoyment  of  them  can  be  indulged  in  from  your  in- 


256  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

terest  money  rather  than  from  the  principal.  Don't  laugh  at 
this.  You  know  I  would  like  to  see  vou  do  well  and  prosper. 
Now  while  you  are  young  and  in  health  is  the  time  to  provide 
for  old  age.     Yours  very  truly,  W.  H.  Vandeebilt. 

A  jDOstscript  follows  on  the  first  page,  showing  how 
sincerely  the  writer  had  his  friend's  interest  at  heart : 

Don't  think  I  have  preached  to  you  a  sermon.  I  have  said  so 
much  because  I  want  you  to  improve  the  present  opportunity. 

"  Another  tiling  Mr.  Vanderbilt  did  for  nie,"  con- 
tinned  Mr.  Riley,  "that  was  almost  as  good  as  that. 
One  day  about  two  years  ago  I  was  driving  Kitty  S.  and 
met  Mr.  Vanderbilt  behind  Little  Fred.  We  had  a 
friendly  brush  down  the  road,  and  I  beat  him.  About 
ten  days  later  we  were  jogging  together  after  a  spin. 
I  had  heard  that  he  was  angry  because  I  liad  beaten 
him  that  day,  and  told  him  so.  Said  he  :  '  My  dear 
Riley,  if  you  pay  attention  to  the  words  of  every  envi- 
ous sucker  you'll  have  a  hard  row  to  hoe  in  this  world  ! ' 
After  a  minute's  silence  he  said  :  '  I  don't  know  any 
better  way  to  kill  off  these  bilious  fellows  than  to  make 
you  a  present.  What  horse  is  there  in  my  stable  that 
you  want  ? ' 

"I  thought  him  joking,  and  said:  'Are  you  in  ear- 
nest ? ' 

"  '  Yes,'  he  answered,  '  I  am.' 
"  I  said  :  '  Leander  is  the  best  horse  you  own.' 
"  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  Leander  is  your  horse.' 
"  That  was  two  years  ago,  and  ever  since  I've  used 
Leander.     Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  very  fond  of  him,  and  I 
value  the  gift  not  so  much  for  its  worth  as  for  the 
giver." 


HIS  ENEMIES.  257, 

Mr.  Yanderbilt  was  the  most  thoroughly  and  cordially 
abused  man  in  this  country — probably  in  any  country. 
His  great  wealth  and  the  investments  he  made  brought 
him  into  contact  with  the  public  and  subjected  him  to  a 
good  deal  of  honest  criticism.  lie  was  also  the  object 
of  malicious  denunciation  by  many  wlio,  only  under- 
standing that  he  was  immensely  rich,  and  unable  to 
"understand  how  his  riches  could  possibly  benefit  any- 
body but  liimself,  looked  upon  him  as  a  buccaneer  or 
higliwa}' man,  who  had  aggrandized  himself  at  their  ex- 
pense. These  men  hated  him  because  they  were  cov- 
etous of  his  possessions.  In  every  mail  that  came  to  his 
desk  were  denunciations  of  his  opulence.  His  daily  mail 
was  a  museum.  He  was  promised  fortunes  by  futui-e 
millionaires  on  the  condition  that  he  would  merely 
help  them  to  start.  These  were  the  commonplace  let- 
ters. Then  came  the  grotesque  ones.  From  the  im- 
pecunious person  who  claimed  relationship.  From  the 
ambitious  dynamiter  who  was  about  to  put  in  motion  a 
mysterious  machine  for  the  annihilation  of  the  whole 
Vanderbilt  family.  From  the  energetic  Socialist  who 
demanded  money  and  threatened  assassination  in  case  of 
refusal  to  pay.  Skulls  and  cross-bones,  daggers  and 
black  coffins,  were  common  features  of  decoration,  and 
occasionally  a  suspicious-looking  package  was  opened 
with  care  and  found  to  bo  a  badly-constructed  "  infer- 
nal machine."  On  three  occasions  Mr.  Vanderbilfs  mail 
assumed  a  really  dangerous  aspect. 

In  April,  1SS2,  such  a  dastardly  contrivance  was  sent 
to  him,  but  it  was  intercepted  befoi'c  it  reached  him, 
through  the  premature  explosion  of  a  similar  one  ad- 
dressed to  another  distinguished  magnate,  Cyrus  W. 


258  THE   VANDEEBILTS. 

Field.  The  niacliine  was  a  clumsy  device,  and  it  was 
contained  in  a  box  lined  with  a  German  Socialistic  news- 
paper. 

Tims,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  made  at  times  to  feel  that 
the  reputation  of  being  the  richest  man  on  the  globe 
conld  not  be  worn  with  impunity.  But  the  menaces 
did  not  much  alarm  or  agitate  him,  and  he  never  went 
out  of  his  M'ay  on  account  of  them.  "What's  the  use 
of  dodging?"  he  would  say  to  his  secretary,  laughing; 
"I  am  a  good-sized  target,  and  if  the  ci-anks  are  l)ound 
to  kill  me,  they  can  do  it.  But  they  can't  scai'C  me  to 
death,  anyhow."  He  believed  that  he  would  die  when 
liis  time  came  and  not  before,  and,  beyond  taking  ordi- 
nary care  against  ti-eachery,  he  did  not  bother  himself 
about  those  whom  his  prosperity  made  natural  enemies. 

Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  a  church-member,  liaving  con- 
nected himself  with  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  for 
many  years  he  attended  on  Staten  Island.  But  he  was 
Avarmly  interested  in  secular  enterprises  of  a  public  nat- 
ure. If  not  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  classical  music,  he 
enjoyed  modern  operas  keenly,  and  felt  all  the  responsi- 
bilities of  his  position  as  a  patron  of  the  lyric  drama. 
He  was  always  a  liberal  subscril)er,  and  on  the  occasion 
of  Henry  E.  Abbej^'s  benefit,  at  the  close  of  an  opera 
season  that  is  unique  in  the  musical  history  of  the  world, 
he  sent  to  that  enterprising  and  spirited  manager  his 
check  for  $5,000. 

He  was  fond  of  the  drama  in  general,  and  kept  him- 
self surprisingly  M'ell  posted  on  theatrical  news,  so  that 
in  conversation  with  one  of  the  profession  he  well  knew 
what  he  was  talking  al)out.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  Avas  the 
first  supporter  that  Mr.  Dion  Boucicault  found  for  his 


ESTIMATES   OF   IIIM.  259 

tlieatrical  insurance  scheme  that  he  so  vigorously  agi- 
tated. 

Mr.  Jay  Gould  gave  the  following  estimate  of  his 
dead  compeer  : — "  I  have  for  many  years  considered  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  as  a  man  of  unusual  ability  in  the  manage- 
ment of  large  financial  interests.  AY  hen  his  father  died 
and  he  came  into  possession  of  his  lai-ge  fortune,  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  was  not  long  in  demonstrating  his  ability  to 
manage  the  property  which  had  been  intrusted  to  his 
care.  He  made  no  move  upon  the  checker-board  of 
finance  until  he  felt  satistied  that  the  move  was  a  safe 
one  to  make.  He  would  not  run  a  great  risk  unless  he 
were  absolutely  compelled  to  by  force  of  circumstances, 
which  I  assure  you  was  not  veiy  often.  His  judgment 
upon  values  was  always  sound.  Few  men  have  made  so 
few  mistakes  in  the  handling  of  moneyed  interests  as 
Mr.  Vanderbilt.  He  was  not  a  bold  venturer  or  operator. 
He  seemed  to  be  satisfied  with  a  small,  or,  at  least,  a  fair, 
return  from  his  investments,  so  long  as  they  were  sound." 

Isaac  P.  Chambers,  controller  of  the  iS^ew  York  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  said  :  "  I  acted  as  the  private  secretary  of 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  in  connection  with  the  auditor's  duties 
from  1865  to  1883.  During  all  those  eighteen  years  I 
was  never  further  away  than  in  the  next  room  to  his, 
and  I  never  saw  a  man  of  more  amiable  disposition. 
He  was  not  understood  by  tbe  public.  He  thought  of 
their  interest  in  every  respect,  and  in  considering  any 
new  movement  or  change  in  policy,  would  say :  '  AVe 
must  look  out  for  the  public  first,  for  you  know  that  we 
are  their  servants.'  He  was  a  very  generous  man,  and 
was  constantly  overrun  with  applications  for  assistance, 
and  one  would  be  surprised  at  the  chai'acter  of  many  of 


260  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

tlie  applicants.  Doctors  of  divinity,  lawj^ers,  and  even 
judges  who  had  become  entangled  in  speculations  would 
ask  him  to  help  them  out  of  their  troubles.  I  remem- 
ber one  letter  he  wrote  in  reply  to  a  request  for  advice 
in  December,  1878,  in  w^hich  he  stated  substantially 
this :  That  he  never  speculated  in  stocks  and  never  rec- 
ommended any  one  else  to  do  so,  for  he  had  seen  too 
many  people  ruined  by  ventures  of  that  kind  ;  that 
stocks  in  Wall  Street  did  not  sell  on  the  merits  of  the 
properties,  but  were  subject  to  the  whims  and  caprices 
of  a  few  men ;  that  he  wrote  this  much  in  the  liope 
of  influencing  one  man  to  be  satisfied  with  an  honest 
livelihood  obtained  in  a  legitimate  business,  for  thou- 
sands of  people  had  lost  the  savings  of  a  lifetime  in 
one  day  of  speculation  ;  that  the  writer  had  asked  for 
his  advice  and  there  it  was." 

Mr.  Depew  said,  alluding  to  his  dead  friend :  "  A 
peculiarity  of  the  man  was  his  fearlessness.  He  was 
constantly  in  receipt  of  letters  informing  him  that  at  a 
certain  hour  and  place  he  was  to  be  shot,  stabbed,  or 
otherwise  killed,  and  under  what  ciicumstances.  It 
would  have  been  an  easy  matter  to  do  this,  for  he 
always  drove  over  the  same  roads,  went  the  same  way  to 
the  office,  at  the  same  hour,  and  back  again  at  fixed  hours 
and  over  fixed  routes.  He  used  to  hand  me  these  lettei-s. 
Many  of  them  were  from  cranks,  others  from  that  class 
of  adventurers  who  make  a  living  by  preying  on  the 
feai's  of  their  fellow-men  ;  some  of  them  contained 
threats,  others  appai'ent  disclosui'es.  Some  I  thought 
were  real  :  but  he  would  never  allow  me  to  investigate 
them  further.  On  the  conti-ary,  when  infoi-med  that  he 
would  meet  death  at  a  particular  hour  and  place,  he 


AMONG   THE   STUDENTS.  261 

never  failed  to  i^o  tliere  on  time.  lie  said  that  lie 
wanted  to  enjoy  life,  and  that  if  he  were  to  be  wateheil 
and  protected  it  would  become  a  burden  to  him.  If 
death  had  to  come,  it  would  come  Avliatever  he 
might  do,  and  he  would  ao  riirht  alono-.  He  was  in 
this  a  philosopher,  and  so  when  he  was  abased  in  public 
or  in  the  press.  lie  held  this  idea:  that  in  consequence 
of  his  wealth  and  the  character  of  his  investments,  that 
gave  him  constant  public  prominence,  he  was  necessarily 
subjected  to  constant  criticism  that  to  a  certain  degree 
was  justified.  He  got  used  to  abuse,  and  while  he  was 
not  much  affected  by  it,  I  know  that  he  was  mightily 
pleased  when  the  newspapers  said  anything  complimen- 
tary of  him." 

Mr.  Yanderbilt  spent  some  months  of  the  summer  of 
1883  driving  with  his  family  among  the  White  Moun- 
tains. At  the  Glen  House  students  from  Bates  and 
Bowdoin  Colleges  were  employed  as  waiters,  and  he  at 
once  began  to  inquire  of  them  about  their  college  life 
and  experiences.  He  ascertained  that  the  students  were 
in  most  instances  the  sons  of  parents  who  were  not 
burdened  with  an  abundance  of  wealth,  and  were  there- 
fore depending  in  a  large  measure  upon  their  own  efforts 
in  securing  money  with  which  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
their  college  course,  and  some  helped  to  support  their 
parents  besides.  Mr.  Yanderbilt  thought  this  very 
plucky  and  creditable,  and  on  going  away  he  left 
$3,000  with  Charles  Milliken,  the  landlord,  for  the 
promisiug  and  ambitious  young  students  in  black  jack- 
ets and  white  aprons.  Each  of  them  returned  to  school 
$100  richer  through  his  thoughtful  generosity.  This  is 
only  one  instance  of  scores  of  similar  ones. 


262  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

Only  a  week  before  he  died,  when  he  visited  the  farm 
for  tlie  last  time,  to  inform  the  resident  farmer  of  the 
change  in  ownership,  he  said,  sitting  in  liis  carriage  : 
"  Well,  I  am  no  longer  master  here.  I  have  given  it  ail 
to  George.  He  will  look  after  the  place  hereafter.  I 
cannot  be  bothered  with  it  any  more.  After  all,  I  have 
enjoyed  more  peace  of  mind  and  quietness  liere  than  I 
ever  have  in  the  big  city  yonder."  And  then  he  rode 
back  to  Kew  Dorp,  and  entered  the  old  Moravian 
Cemetery,  and  drove  through  it,  and  up  the  hill,  to  the 
magnificent  family  mausoleum  in  course  of  construe-- 
tion.  He  was  anxious  to  know  if  the  workmen  would 
be  able  to  get  it  enclosed  before  M'inter  came  with  its 
frosts  and  snows. 

And  thence  he  drove  down  to  the  ferry,  where  he  met 
and  saluted  his  old  neighbor,  Tyson  Butler,  who  had 
"given  him  a  lift"  a  quarter  of  a  century  before.  In 
that  early  time  before  the  war,  when  Yanderbilt  was  a 
farmer  at  Kew  Dorp,  he  sent  his  crops  to  the  city  mar- 
ket on  schooners,  and  brought  back  manure,  which  was 
hauled  up  the  sandy  beach  by  oxen. 

Once  Yanderbilt's  cart  got  stuck  in  the  sand  and  his 
oxen  could  not  di-aw  it  out.  His  farming  neighbor, 
Tyson  Butler,  going  by  with  a  yoke  of  oxen,  sung  out : 
"  Vanderbilt,  your  oxen  are  no  good.  1^11  bet  you  a  half- 
gallon  of  applejack  that  mine  can  haul  that  load  up  the 
beach." 

"  Agreed  ;  I'll  take  that  bet,"  was  the  reply. 

The  oxen  were  hitched  on,  and  they  hauled  the  load 
out  without  great  difficulty. 

"  The  applejack  is  yours  !  "  said  Vanderbilt.  But  he 
forgot  to  deliver  it. 


FORGOT   TO   DELIVER.  SC!? 

So  on  this  pleasant  day  in  December,  1SS5,  returning 
from  tlie  cemetery,  this  same  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  become 
the  richest  man  in  the  world,  stood  on  the  ferry-dock  at 
Clifton  chatting  right  and  left  with  all  he  knew — and 
he  seemed  to  know  everybody.  Mr.  Butler  drove  his 
oxen  by,  hauling  the  great  blocks  of  Quincy  granite  for 
the  Yanderbilt  mausoleum  at  New  Dorp,  and  seeing  his 
former  neighbor,  he  shouted  :  "  I  haven't  got  that  apple- 
jack yet,  Yanderbilt;  I'm  getting  thirsty." 

"  And  you've  remembered  it  twenty-five  years  !  "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Yanderbilt.  "Well,  Butler,  you  shall  have 
it." 

The  next  week  the  rich  man  was  dead  and  laid  to 
temporary  rest  in  the  cemetery  vault,  and  the  old  team- 
ster went  on  hauling  stones  for  his  monument. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE   SONS   AND   THEIR   HERITAGE. 

The  New  Residences — Cornelius  and  William  K.  Vanderbilt — Their 
Public  Trusts  and  Private  Character  — A  Notable  Present — Law- 
abiding  and  Self-restraining — Comparison  of  the  Central  with 
other  Roads — Reduction  of  Passenger  and  Freight  Charges, 

After  the  death  of  tlie  Coniinoclore,  William  II.  Yan- 
clerbilt  and  his  two  eldest  sons  planned  and  bnilt  three 
mansions  on  Fifth  Avenue  north  of  tlie  siinmiit  of 
Murray  Hill.  The  first  has  been  sufficiently  described. 
The  two  others,  rivaling  it  in  elegance  and  luxurious- 
ness,  were  located,  one  at  the  corner  of  Fifty-second 
Street  and  the  other  at  the  corner  of  Fifty-seventh 
Street.  The  pictures  of  these  houses  given  elsewhere 
in  this  volume  convey  some  idea  of  their  spaciousness 
and  sumptuousness. 

Cornelius  Yanderbilt  went  into  the  Treasui-er's  office 
when  he  was  twentj^-one  years  of  age,  and  had  been  there 
thirteen  years  when  his  grandfather  died  and  liis  func- 
tions were  enlarged.  lie  was  one  of  the  most  method- 
ical and  industrious  of  men — the  first  to  get  to  his  desk 
and  the  last  to  leave  it.  He  had  a  res-ular  and  thorough 
office  training,  and  knew  how  to  work  to  advantage. 

William  Kissam  Avas  more  like  his  grandfather,  find- 
ing routine  labor  irksome,  quick  and  dashing  in  action, 
readj^  to  take  risks.  He  was  irascible,  like  the  Commo- 
dore, too,  and  intolerant  of  opposition  or  correction.  But 
he  made  himself  master,  of  the  whole  transportation  de- 


w.  K.  vanderbii^t's  residence. 


THE   BUSY   BROTHERS.  265 

partnient ;  was  quick  at  calculations  ;  was  familiar  with 
freight  rates  and  agreements  and  the  margin  of  pi'ofit, 
and  possessed  good  judgment  on  railroad  combinations. 

When  the  father  retired  from  the  presidency  the  two 
sons  were  made  alternately  chairmen  of  the  Boards  of 
Directors  of  the  different  roads :  Cornelius  held  that 
position  in  the  Hudson  Kiver  and  Xew  York  Central 
and  Michigan  Central,  and  William  K.  was  chairman 
in  the  Lake  Shore  and  President  of  the  Xickel  Plate. 

AVith  the  next  son,  Frederick  W.,  his  father  adopted 
a  different  course,  lie  took  naturally  to  study,  and  grad- 
uated at  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  at  Yale,  and 
thence  was  received  into  the  office,  doing  general  railroad 
work  under  his  father's  direction,  lie  was  first  assigned 
to  one  department  and  then  to  another  till  he  became 
somewhat  acquainted  with  the  whole  complicated  ma- 
chine,    lie  is  a  director  in  the  different  lines. 

Besides  being  chairman  of  the  Boards  of  Control  of 
the  Xew  York  Central  and  Michigan  Central,  and  hold- 
ing important  positions  in  several  other  roads,  Corne- 
lius Vanderbilt  has  different  trusts  to  distract  his  atten- 
tion, lie  is  an  officer  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  a  trustee  in  the  Episcopal  Seminary,  an 
active  member  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Church,  the  treas- 
urer of  the  Episcopal  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  a 
trustee  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  a  ti'ustee  of  St.  John's 
Guild,  besides  being  intimately  associated  with  numer- 
ous charitable  institutions. 

In   the   spring  of  1881  Mr.  Yanderbilt  gave  to   the 

Metropolitan    Museum    six   hundred    and    thirty-three 

drawings,  where  they  are  arranged,  as  far  as  possible,  by 

schools,    in  chronological  order.     These    are  pen-and- 

13 


266  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

ink,  sepia,  and  red-clialk  drawings,  illustrating  the  spirit 
and  subject  of  bygone  ages  foreign  to  our  own.  To  the 
uneducated  in  art,  thej  are  little  more  than  curiosities. 
Among  these  are  works  by  Raphael,  Del  Sarto,  Cellini, 
Rossetti,  Baroccios,  Salvator  Rosa,  Tintoretto,  Rubens, 
and  many  othei's.  Less  than  a  liundred  years  ago  this 
collection  was  begun  by  Count  Maggiori,  of  Eologna, 
and  it  has  since  received  many  additions  from  other 
famous  collections,  includni'g  that  of  James  Jackson 
Jarvis,  our  Consul  at  Florence,  from  whom  Mr.  Yander- 
bilt  purchased  it  in  1880.  The  schools  represented  are 
the  Roman,  Florentine,  Sienese,  Parma,  Man tuan,  Peru- 
gian,  Bolognese,  ISTeapolitan,  Venetian,  Dutch,  and  Flem- 
ish, including  drawings  by  Albrecht  Durer,  and  by 
Murillo  and  Yelasquez  of  the  Spanish  school.  These  are 
of  great  value  to  American  art  students. 

The  Yanderbilts  have  not  abused  their  trust.  They 
have  been  obedient  to  law,  and  have  acquiesced  in  the 
conventionalities  adopted  and  observed  by  their  neigh- 
bors. They  have  been  friends  of  social  order,  and  they 
have  never  yielded  to  the  temptation  which  enormous 
wealth  confers  to  make  war  upon  the  institutions  about 
them ;  to  indulge  in  those  coarse  vices  which  are  too 
often  assumed  to  be  the  privilege  of  the  rich  and  pow- 
erful. They  have  not  preyed  upon  the  poor,  for  they 
were  all  nurtured  in  the  school  of  self-restraint. 

At  the  celebration  by  the  Commodore  of  his  golden 
wedding  a  hundred  and  forty  of  his  descendants  and 
near  relatives  assembled  at  the  house,  and  .on  that  sig- 
nificant and  joyful  occasion  he  presented  to  his  wife  a 
beautiful  little  golden  steamboat,  with  musical  works 
instead  of  an  engine — emblematic  at  once  of  his  busi- 


THE   NEW   YORK   CENTRAL.  2G7 

ness  career  and  the  liarmoiiy  of  his  home.  If  he  ever 
boasted  of  anything  that  was  his,  in  the  presence  of 
strangers,  it  was  of  liis  mother,  his  wife,  or  liis  long  la- 
mented soldier-son.  AVillianill.  Yanderbilt  was  equally 
fond  of  the  home  life,  and  his  sons  are  more  domestic 
than  most  of  their  neighbors. 

The  opulence  they  possess  is  not  the  result  of  the 
manipulation  of  stock.  It  was  not  acquired  by  I'obbing 
the  frugal  and  industrious.  It  was  earned  by  building- 
roads  where  they  were  needed  and  as  they  were  needed  ; 
by  rolling  twenty-six  fragmentary  lines  into  one  and 
giving  them  a  single  competent  and  respectable  head. 

For  taxes  these  roads  pay  8151  an  hour  the  year  round, 
aorerreofating'  about  three  times  wdiat  it  costs  to  maintain 
the  canal  as  a  free  competitor.  The  company  pays  $1 
to  the  State  to  every  $2.70  paid  to  stockholders. 

This  system  of  roads  within  New  York  State  supports 
200,000  people  directly  and  indirectly  from  the  wages 
paid  for  service.  At  the  same  time  it  responds  to  the 
public  need  for  transit  and  traffic  at  a  cost  less  than  any 
other  railroad  in  the  world.  This  is  illustrated  by  the 
statement  which  follows : 

Passengek  Bates. 

Cents      I  Cents 

per  mile.  per  mile. 

NewYork  Central  Railroad.   2      |  Illinois  railroads 4 

Connecticut  railroads 4^    j  Minnesota  "        5 

Colorado      "        10 


Maine 

(( 

...   5 

Pennsylvania 

<f 

....   3^ 

Michigan 

(t 

....   3h 

English        "        4^ 

Other  European  railroads     5| 

Freight  Rates. 

Cents  per  ton  i  Cunts  per  ton 

each  mile.     \  each  mile. 

Connecticut  railroads  ....   6^    ;  Pennsylvania  raih-oads. ...   5 

Maine  "         4^    ;  Ohio  '  "         Gf 

Massachusetts     "         5      j  New   York    Central   Rail- 

'      road i^u"  of  one  cent 


268  THE  VANDEKBILTS. 

The  following  table  shows  the  increase  of  tonnage  and 
the  reduction  of  freight  charges  during  thirteen  years  : 

Y  Number  of  Cents  per  ton 

tons  moved.  per  mile. 

1869 3,190,840  2j 

1870 4,122,000  2 

1871 4,532,056  2| 

1872 4,393,905  2 

1873 5,522,524  If 

1874 6,114,678  1^ 

1875 6,001,984  li 

1876 0,803,680  1 

1877 6,357,356  1 

1878 8,175,535  1 

1879 , 9,441,213  Of 

1880 10,533,038  Of 

1881 11,591,376  Of 

1882 11,330,392  Of 

1883 10,892,440  Of 

1884 10,212,418  Of 

1885..... 10,802,957  Of 

In  1869  the  cost  of  carrying  freight  was  more  than 
two  hundred  per  cent,  greater  than  it  now  is.  "When 
the  Erie  Canal  was  the  sole  dependence  for  the  trans- 
poi'tation  of  gi-ain  the  cost  of  carrying  wheat  from  Buf- 
falo to  New  York  City  Avas  thirty  cents  a  bushel :  now 
it  is  two  and  a  half  cents  a  bushel ! 

Freight  can  now  be  brought  from  Buffalo  cheaper 
than  it  cost  to  bring  it  from  Poughkeepsie  w4ien  Com- 
modore Yanderbilt  laid  his  hand  on  the  track  along  the 
Hudson  ;  a  bushel  of  wheat  can  now  be  moved  from  tlie 
fields  of  far  Dakota  to  the  poor  consumer  on  the  sea- 
board for  less  than  it  cost  to  bring  it  from  the  Genesee 
Yalley  when  AVilliam  H.  Yanderbilt  came  from  his 
Staten  Island  farm  and  began  to  study  the  problem  of 
transportation. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

SOaiE   REFLECTIONS  ABOUT   IT. 

Commercial  Philanthropy — Promiscuous  Charity — Do  the  Vander- 
bilts  Possess  their  Monej'  V— Tlie  Envious  and  Malevolent — Can 
a  Man  "Earn  a  Million  Dollars?" — Brain  and  Brawn — The 
Genealogy  of  Civilization — Reproductive  Wealth. 

^3oME  of  the  thinkers,  or,  at  any  rate,  the  talkers,  of 
these  days,  assume  in  their  discussion  of  economics  that 
such  men  as  the  A^anderbilts  are  to  be  ranked  with  the 
despoilers  instead  of  the  benefactors  of  the  race.  The 
number  of  such  is  few,  but  tlieir  opinions  may  be  con- 
sidered. 

AVilliam  II.  Yanderbilt  was  not  a  professional  philan- 
thropist. Though  a  man  of  kindly  feelings  and  benev- 
olent practices,  he  was  a  rigid  utilitarian,  and,  like  his 
father,  served  others  mainly  through  what  seemed  mere 
service  of  himself.  Avarice  moved  him,  but  the  net  re- 
sult was  the  general  good.  He  Avas  probably  the  best 
example  that  this  centurj'  has  afforded  of  the  great  ben- 
efits which  conspicuous  capitalists  always  confer  upon 
the  community  in  the  studied  acquisition  and  the  half- 
involuntary  distribution  of  their  wealth. 

It  was  once  thought  that  a  man's  personal  virtues 
were  to  be  gauged  by  the  amount  of  his  promiscuous 
charities,  and  that  it  was  clearly  the  duty  of  every  man 
who  was  i"ich  to  give  to  every  man  who  was  penniless  ; 
but  we  have  learned  in  recent  days  that  charity  can 


270  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

wisely  be  dispensed  only  tlirongh  intelligent  organiza- 
tion, and  that  street  alms-giving  is  a  mischievous  evil, 
multiplying  supplicants  instead  of  diminishing  their 
number.  Even  organic  charity  is  merely  a  negative 
good,  stirring  the  sympathetic  impulses  of  the  race  to 
support  those  who  through  profligacy  or  misfortune  con- 
tinue to  impoverish  the  world.  He  who  builds  a  factory 
confers  ten  times  more  good  than  he  who  builds  an 
almshouse  ;  and  he  who  launches  a  steamship  or  equips 
a  railroad  does  far  more  for  the  comfort  and  happiness 
of  mankind  than  he  who  endows  an  asylum.  The 
dominant  benefactors  of  the  world  are  those  unerring 
pilots  of  finance — those  untitled  princes  of  industry — 
who  ceaselessly  strive  to  aggrandize  themselves  and  so 
most  richly  benefit  others  ;  who  renew  with  vitality  the 
commercial  arteries  of  the  world's  life,  and  who  hoard 
up  great  aggregations  of  capital  and  keep  it  busy  in  the 
em^jloyment  of  multitudes  of  workers.  These  consider- 
ations are  to  be  taken  heed  of  when  men  are  being  classi- 
fied in  the  bi'oad  valhalla  of  the  dead. 

Moreover,  it  is  a  serious  mistake  to  suppose  that  a 
man  as  rich  as  the  Yanderbilts  can  ever  get  what  is 
called  "the  worth  of  his  money."  Mr.  William  II. 
Yanderbilt  was  of  an  equable  and  buoyant  temper,  but 
he  sometimes  spoke  bitterly  of  this  limitation.  Tiefer- 
ring  to  a  neighbor,  he  M'ould  say:  "He  isn't  worth  a 
hundredth  part  as  much  as  I  am,  but  he  has  more  of  the 
real  pleasures  of  life  than  I  have.  His  house  is  as  com- 
fortable as  mine,  even  if  it  didn't  cost  so  much  ;  his 
team  is  about  as  good  as  mine  ;  his  opera-box  is  next  to 
mine  ;  his  health  is  better  than  mine,  and  he  will  prob- 
ably outlive  me.     And  he  can  trust  his  friends." 


FIVE  HUNDRED   TONS.  271 

It  is  one  of  the  curious  compensations  of  nature  that  a 
man  cannot  employ  for  his  own  comfort  and  benefit 
more  than  a  small  snm  of  money,  and  that  all  that  he 
acquires  and  invests  above  that  sum  nnist  go  to  the 
benefit  and  comfort  of  others.  Mr.  YandeVbilt  was 
pi-obabl}'  worth  five  hundred  tons  of  solid  gold  when  he 
died — more  than  would  have  accumulated  if  his  male 
ancestors  in  a  direct  line  had  had  salaries  of  ^30,000  a 
year  since  the  coming  of  Adam  and  had  saved  it  all  — so 
much  money  that  he  could  not  have  counted  it  in  ten 
years  at  the  rate  of  a  dollar  a  second  if  he  had  counted 
night  and  day,  Sundays  and  all.  He  never  handled  his 
money.  Tie  never  saw  it.  He  was  never  in  its  ])i'es- 
ence.  In  fact,  he  never  had  it.  It  was  in  the  hands  of 
strangers,  and  was  nsed  by  them  for  their  own  benefit, 
they  paying  him  five  or  six  million  dollars  a  year  for 
the  privilege.  But  even  of  this  five  or  six  millions  he 
never  saw  a  tithe.  Kinety -nine  cents  out  of  every  dollar 
lie  "  owned  "  wei-e  in  the  hands  and  coffers  of  others, 
employed  mainly  for  their  exclusive  advantage. 

In  ministering  to  his  own  real  and  imaginary  wants, 
he  could  not  use  moi"e  than  a  small  fraction  of  his  in- 
come. He  constantly  overworked,  and  violated  many  of 
the  laws  of  health,  in  order  to  get  and  keep  his  fortune ; 
and  for  wages,  he  received,  as  Stephen  Girard  grimly  put 
it,  only  his  "  board  and  clothes,"  unless  we  count  among 
liis  imponderable  assets  the  reputation  of  being  an  ava- 
ricious and  dangerous  man.  The  laborer  who  wheels 
gravel  on  a  railroad  and  who  can  eat  three  solid  meals 
every  day  and  sleep  soundly  every  night  gets  higher 
wages  than  a  dyspeptic  king. 

To  enjoy  his  wealth  relatively,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  ought 


272  THE   VANDERBILTS. 

to  have  been  able  to  eat  and  drink  a  thonsand  times  as 
effectively,  and  sleep  a  thousand  times  as  refreshingly, 
and  appreciate  the  beauties  of  nature  and  the  marvels 
of  art  a  thousand  times  as  innch  as  a  poor  man. 

But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  this  "  magnate  "  dressed  no 
better  than  his  clerk,  and  ate  less  than  his  coachman. 
lie  drank  chiefly  milk.  He  could  sleep  in  only  one 
room,  like  others.  He  had  little  taste  for  books,  and 
not  time  enough  to  read  the  newspapers.  Envy  and 
ignorance  had  raised  np  an  army  of  enemies  about  him. 
The  public  press  stormed  at  him  like  a  harridan  and 
covered  the  dead  walls  with  infamous  caricatures,  rep- 
resenting him  as  a  vampire,  a  dragon,  a  Gorgon,  a 
Silenns,  a  Moloch,  a  malevolent  llurlothrnmbo.  He 
was  a  victim  of  insomnia  and  indigestion.  The  jockey, 
Anxiety,  rode  him  with  whip  and  spur.  He  was  in  con- 
stant peril  of  apoplexy.  He  could  not  take  needful  ex- 
ercise by  walking  in  the  Park  for  fear  of  being  accosted 
by  tramps  or  insulted  by  socialistic  philosophers.  Every 
week  his  life  was  threatened  by  anonymous  letters.  He 
kept  a  magnificent  servants'  boarding-house  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  where  he  made  his  home,  and  superbly  equipped 
a  stable,  whose  advantages  inured  chiefly  to  the  bene- 
fit of  his  employes.  He  organized  the  finest  picture- 
gallery  in  America  for  the  enjoyment  of  lovers  of  art, 
but  was  compelled  to  limit  his  hospitality  by  the  fact 
that  some  of  the  guests  rifled  the  conservatory  of  its 
choicest  flowers,  scratched  the  Meissoniers  with  the  ends 
of  their  parasols,  invaded  the  private  apartments  of  the 
mansion,  and  carried  away  poitable  things  as  souvenii'S 
of  the  visit.  An  enormons  fortune  is  a  heavy  burden  to 
bear.    To  be  very  rich  invites  attacks,  cares,  responsibil- 


CREATING   PROPERTY.  278 

ities,  intrusions  and  annoyances  for  wliicli  tlicro  is  no 
adequate  oflFset. 

A  man  like  Connnodore  Yanderbiit,  indeed,  lias  the 
large  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  lie  has  given  the  human 
race  a  magnificent  endowment  in  adding  to  the  wealth 
of  the  world.  He  was  not  a  juggler,  who  managed  by 
a  cunning  trick  to  transfer  to  himself  the  wealth  of 
others ;  he  created  property  that  did  not  before  have  an 
existence.  When  he  stepped  from  the  deck  upon  land, 
the  best  railroads  in  the  United  States  had  been  para- 
lyzed and  driven  to  bankruptcy  by  bhmderei-s  and  plun- 
derers. They  w^ere  largely  in  the  hands  of  men  who 
cared  nothing  for  them  except  as  they  could  be  made 
serviceable  in  the  reckless  games  of  Wall  Street. 
"Whether  they  could  meet  the  demands  of  traffic  was 
regarded  by  these  desperate  gamblers  as  of  no  conse- 
quence. Thieves  had  pillaged  the  Erie  road  till  its  stock 
was  sold  for  three  cents  on  a  dollar.  Michigan  Southern 
was  at  5,  and  Erie  at  6. 

The  Commodore  introduced  a  new  policy.  Instead  of 
taking  money  out  of  the  roads,  he  pnt  millions  into  them. 
Instead  of  breaking  them  down  he  built  them  up.  In- 
stead of  robbing  them,  he  renovated  them  and  raised 
them  from  the  grave.  lie  equipped  them  anew,  trust- 
ing that  the  public  Avould  respond  and  give  him  his 
money  back.  He  dragged  together  worthless  fragments 
and  made  them  one  ;  he  consolidated  parallel  roads  that 
were  apart  and  belonged  together  ;  he  cut  down  every 
possible  expense,  and  subjected  them  to  the  economic 
supervision  of  one  despotic  will.  lie  fearlessly  staked 
all  upon  the  venture,  and  npon  the  belief  that  the  war 

for  the  Union  would  end  in  the  defeat  of  Secession. 
13* 


274  THE   YANDEEBILTS. 

In  both  he  was  right.  The  South  was  beaten.  The 
public  I'esponded.  The  stock  mounted  to  par  and  be- 
yond. His  roads  had  all  tliey  could  do,  and  he  made 
millions  a  year  from  the  investment  of  liis  marvelous 
brain.  And  he  made  these  millions  as  legitimateh-  as 
an  artisan  fashions  a  liat  from  m'ooI,  or  a  chair  from 
wood.  He  received  better  pay  than  the  artisan,  not 
only  because  he  risked  his  money  where  the  mechanic 
risks  nothing,  but  because  he  invested  his  consummate 
brain. 

One  of  the  commonest  and  most  pernicious  errors  is 
the  assumption  that  the  liuman  hand  is  the  chief  factor 
in  the  creation  of  wealth,  and  from  this  error  spiings 
nnich  of  the  noisy  remonstrance  of  our  time.  It  is  not 
the  hand,  but  the  brain,  that  is  the  real  creator.  It  was 
Michael  Angelo  that  built  St.  Peter's,  not  the  forgotten 
workmen  who,  executing  the  will  of  the  great  master, 
borne  to  them  through  a  dozen  skilled  architects  and 
master- artisans,  hewed  the  stone  to  lines  that  had  been 
accurately  drawn  for  them.  The  unit  of  service  under- 
lying all  is  the  faithful  workman  ;  but  a  brigade  of  work- 
men cannot  do  as  nmch  effective  good  as  is  done  by  one 
strong  and  intelligent  capitalist,  whose  money  employs 
and  whose  sagacity  directs  and  I'enders  fruitful  the  sterile 
hand.  The  chief  productiveness  of  the  world  is  due 
mainlj'  to  the  skill  that  plans,  the  audacity  that  risks, 
and  the  prescience  that  sees  through  the  heart  of  the 
future.  So  to  those  captains  of  industry  who  succeed  in 
their  financial  ventures  should  go  that  premium  called 
profit  which  society  offers  to  superior  foresight. 

It  used  to  be  thought  by  all  that  as  Avealth  accumulated 
men  decayed  ;  that  the  love  of  money  was  the  root  of  all 


SOME  ERROES  CORRECTED.         275 

evil  ;  that  avarice  M'as  a  vice  ;  that  the  M-orld  M'onld 
be  better  off  if  the  division  of  property  could  bo  more 
nearly  equal ;  that  great  I'iches  were  a  curse  to  society  ; 
that  the  millionaire  capitalist  was  a  sort  of  bandit-king 
who  plundered  the  people  by  methods  which  were  some- 
times legal  but  always  highly  immoral,  and  under  whose 
tyrannical  exactions  industry  was  paralyzed  and  laboring 
men  were  impoverished. 

But  it  is  now  known  that  the  desire  to  own  property 
is  the  chief  difference  between  the  savage  and  the  en- 
lightened man  ;  that  aggregations  of  money  in  the 
hands  of  individuals  are  an  inestimable  blessing  to  So- 
ciety, for  without  them  there  could  be  no  public  improve- 
ments or  private  enterprises,  no  railroads  or  steamships, 
or  telegraphs  ;  no  cities,  no  leisure  class,  no  schools,  col- 
leges, literature,  art — in  short,  no  civilization.  The  one 
man  to  whom  the  connnunity  owes  most  is  the  capita- 
list, not  the  man  who  gives,  but  the  man  Mdio  saves  and 
invests,  so  that  his  property  reproduces  and  multiplies 
itself  instead  of  being  consumed. 

It  is  now  known  that  civilization  is  the  result  of  labor 
put  in  motion  by  wealth  ;  that  wealth  springs  from  self- 
denial  ;  that  self-denial  springs  from  avarice  ;  and  that 
avarice  is  the  child  of  an  aspiring  discontent. 

It  used  to  be  thought  that  consolidation  was  a  menace 
to  the  people,  and  that  great  "  Monopolies,"  as  they 
were  called,  ought  to  be  forbidden  by  law.  It  is  now 
known  that  such  consolidation  is  a  public  benefit ;  that 
the  man  who  owns  a  thousand  houses  rents  them 
cheaper  than  he  who  owns  but  one  or  two  ;  that  the 
greatest  oil  company  in  the  world  furnishes  oil  cheaper 
than  it  was  ever  furnished  before,  or  could  be  by  any 


276  THE  VANDERBILTS. 

other  means  of  distribution ;  that  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company  sends  dispatches  far  cheaper  than 
they  were  sent  by  any  of  the  score  of  companies  from 
which  it  sprung,  and  cheaper  than  they  are  sent  by  any  of 
the  telegraphs  in  the  w^orld  which  are  owned  and  operated 
by  governments  ;  that  A.  T.  Stewart  greatly  reduced  the 
proHts  and  losses  of  merchandising  and  the  cost  of  goods 
to  the  consumer,  and  that,  therefore,  while  he  crushed 
out  small  dealers,  his  career  was  a  tremendous  public 
benefit ;  that  the  Kew  York  Central  Hailroad,  the  net 
result  of  the  combination  of  many  roads,  carries  pas- 
sengers at  lower  fares  than  any  other  road  in  the  world 
— lower  even  thau  is  required  by  law — and  transports 
freight  so  cheaply  that  it  has  driven  fi'om  successful 
competition  a  canal  that  was  built  by  the  State  and  is 
free  to  all !  The  government  has  reduced  the  price  of 
postage  only  oue-half  iu  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  de- 
livers letters  at  a  loss  of  millions  of  dollars  a  year ;  but 
frieght  from  Chicago  to  Kew  York  costs  less  than  a 
quarter  what  it  did  then,  and  desperate  competition 
keeps  the  rate  at  the  lowest  possible  point. 

It  is  to  the  obvious  advantage  of  society  that  repro- 
ductive wealth  shall  be  concentrated  in  few  liands  ;  for 
the  larger  its  aggregations  the  smaller  the  toll  which  it 
will  exact  from  society  for  the  privilege  of  its  use.  And 
before  Socialists  can  rationally  demand  an  abolition  of 
the  competitive  system  and  a  reconstruction  of  the  in- 
dustrial methods  of  society,  they  must  exhibit  one  rail- 
road somewhere  in  the  world  which  is  owned  by  a  state 
and  managed  as  Masely  and  thriftily  as  ai'e  the  roads 
which  are  allied  to  the  name  of  Yauderbilt. 


APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX  A. 

The  little,  snug,  and  quaint  Vanderbilt  homestead,  where 
the  father  and  mother  of  "  Commodore  "  Vanderbilt  raised 
their  family  and  spent  the  greater  portion  of  their  lives,  and 
whence  they  were  finally  buried,  still  stands  in  the  village 
of  Edgewatei',  a  half  mile  or  so  from  the  village  which 
has  been  known,  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century, 
as  "Xompkinsville,"  "  Vanderbilt's  Landing,"  and  "Quar- 
antine." At  the  present  time  the  whole  shore  of  Staten 
Island,  from  New  Brighton  to  Clifton,  is  one  continuous 
street,  well-built  up,  with  only  here  and  there  a  landmark, 
or  old  building,  to  remind  one  of  the  days  long  since  gone 
by.  The  Vanderbilt  cottage  stands  on  the  old  "Shore 
Road,"  which  once  ran  close  to  the  water's  edge,  at  the 
corner  of  Beach  Street.  There  is  now  a  considerable  ex- 
tent of  made  land  between  the  shore  road  and  the  water, 
Avhich  puts  the  old  homestead  further  inland.  But  the 
view  of  New  York  Bay,  and  the  highlands  of  Long  Island 
in  the  northeast,  is  still  unobstructed.  Originally  the 
building  was  very  small,  one  story  high,  with  a  peaked 
roof,  the  front  part  of  which  projects  from  the  house  far 
enough  to  form  a  roof  for  the  piazza.  Of  the  massive 
chimney  at  one  end,  the  lower  portion  still  forms  a  part  of 
the  end  wall  of  the  house.  There  was  one  room  at  the 
rear.  The  windows  are  high,  with  small  panes  of  glass.  In 
later  years  the  house  has  been  enlarged,  abovit  one-half,  by 
the  addition  of  a  parlor  and  sleeping-rooms  on  the  western 
end,  so  that  now  it  is  a  double  cottage,  containing  nine  or 


278  APPENDIX   A. 

ten  rooms,  with  a  chimney  at  each  end,  and  a  front  door  in 
the  middle,  with  two  front  windows  on  either  side  of  it. 

The  house  stands  back  some  ten  or  fifteen  rods  from  the 
street,  on  a  gentle  elevation,  in  the  midst  of  a  good  sized 
plot  of  ground,  inclosed  with  a  rough  picket  fence.  There 
is  a  well  in  the  garden  in  front  of  the  laouse,  which,  doubt- 
less, in  olden  times,  possessed  a  well-sweep.  Around  it  are 
old  cherry-trees,  pear-trees,  and  a  cluster  of  Normandy 
poplars.  The  cottage  is  now  painted  white,  with  gxeen 
outside  blinds.  Entering,  we  find  the  rooms  low  between 
joints,  but  very  comfortable  and  cosey  in  appearance.  It  is 
over  a  hundred  years  old,  yet  the  mud  ceiling  of  the  sitting- 
room  at  the  left  of  the  hall,  is  without  a  crack,  and  in  as 
perfect  a  condition  to-day,  as  when  it  was  put  on.  This 
room  contains  a  large  open  fireplace,  with  a  mantel-piece 
in  the  Colonial,  or  George  Washington  style.  Beyond  the 
sitting-room  there  is  a  smaller  apartment,  now  used  as  a 
dining-room,  with  a  fii-ejjlace  in  one  corner,  a  snug  ar- 
rangement, suggestive  of  many  a  comfortable  after-dinner 
chat.  In  the  rear  of  this  room  is  the  little  addition,  or 
kitchen.  In  the  front  hall  hangs  a  quaint  lithograph,  made 
in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  in  1838,  of  one  of  the  Commodore's 
steamboats,  the  Augusta,  a  long,  narrow,  side-wheel  craft, 
with  men  in  rows,  stove-pipe  hats,  and  "  Newmarket"  coats, 
standing  on  the  uniu  closed  upper  deck.  A  huge  smoke- 
stack rises  from  the  forward  pai't  of  the  boat,  which,  judg- 
ing from  its  appearance,  lacked  all  the  comforts  of  modern 
steam  vessels. 


APPENDIX  B. 

The  name  of  Coraeliiis  Yanderbilt  first  appears  in  the 
New  York  dh*ectory  for  1815-lG,  as  follows  :  "  Cornelius 
Vauderbilt,  mariner,  93  Broad  St." 

In  1816,  he  Uved  at  13  Stone  Street ;  in  1817,  he  did 
business  at  17  Stone  Street  ;  in  1818,  at  5G  Boaver  Street  ; 
in  1819,  at  18  Stone  Sti-eet,  and  all  this  time  he  is  rated  a 
"mariner."  In  1820  he  is  called  a  "  steamboat  master," 
and  seems  to  have  headquarters  of  some  sort  at  58  Stone 
Street,  In  1822,  his  name  disappears  from  the  Directory 
during  several  years  of  his  New  Brunswick  residence  ;  it  re- 
appears in  1827,  when  he  is  again  classified  as  a  "  marinei*," 
and  has  an  office  at  457  Washington  Street. 

In  1833-31-35,  the  directory  describes  Cornelius  Vander- 
bilt  as  a  "  mariner,"  living  at  131  Madison  Street.  The 
next  year  he  moved  to  173  East  Broadway. 

This  was  a  little  over  half  a  century  ago.  The  post-of- 
fice was  then  in  the  basement  of  the  Exchange,  fronting  on 
Exchange  Place  and  Hanover  Street.  There  were  two 
mails  a  day  to  Brooklyn,  and  mails  were  made  up  for  as  fai' 
west  as  the  "frontier  counties  of  Ohio,"  and  the  "Terri- 
tory of  Michigan."  About  one  dozen  letter-carriers  were 
employed  by  the  post-office.  William  H.  Aspinwall  then 
lived  at  3  College  Place,  opposite  Cit}-  Hall  Park  ;  John 
Jacob  Astor  did  business  at  8  Yesey  Street,  and  lived  in 
Hoboken  ;  William  B.  Astor  lived  at  376  Broadway  ;  Jacob 
Lorillard  lived  at  144  Hudson  Street,  and  Peter  Lorillard 
Jr.,  at  521  Broadway.  Peter  Cooper  had  a  glue  factory  out 
in  the  country  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue  and  Twent}'- 
eighth  Street.  Alexander  T.  Stewart  kept  a  dry-goods  store 
at  257  Broadway,  and  lived  at  5  Warren  Street.  Prosper 
M.  Wetmore  lived  at  79  Franklin  Street.  William  E. 
Dodge  lived  on  Fifth  Street,  near  Second  Avenue,  and 
"  Delmouico  &  Brother  "  were  known  as  confectioners,  and 
kept  a  "  Restaurant  Fran9ais"at  23  and  25  William  Street. 
Fifth  Avenue  then  extended  as  far  north  as  Eighth  Street, 
and  cross  streets,  as  high  as  Twenty-eighth  Street,  had  been 
graded  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city. 


APPENDIX   C. 

On  May  20,  1853,  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  with  his 
his  family,  started  for  a  tour  of  the  coast  of  Europe  in  the 
steam-yacht  North  Star.  The  sole  object  of  the  excursion 
was  to  gratify  his  family,  and  take  a  complete  holiday  for 
himself,  he  having  known  no  rest  from  labor  during  more 
than  forty  years.  Captain  Asa  Eldridge,  who  had  been 
engaged  in  the  India,  Liverpool,  and  CaHfornia  trade,  was 
made  sailing-master.  Mr.  John  Keefe,  a  well-known  caterer 
in  New  York,  was  the  purser.  Several  of  the  hands  who 
shipped  for  the  cruise  were  young  men  of  the  best  families 
in  the  country.  The  party  on  board  consisted  of  IVIr.  and 
Mrs.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  Mrs.  James  Cross,  Miss  Kate 
Vanderbilt,  Master  George  W.  Vanderbilt,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.  H.  Vanderbilt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  B.  Ahen,  IVIi-.  and  Mrs. 
George  Osgood,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  K.  Thorn,  Miss  Louisa 
Thorn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Torrance,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  F. 
Clark,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  B.  La  Bau,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jared 
Linsly,  Eev.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  O.  Choules,  of  Newport,  K.  I., 
and  Mrs.  Asa  Eldridge.  As  the  North  Star  passed  by 
Staten  Island,  opposite  to  the  residence  of  Commodore  Van- 
derbilt's  mother,  rockets  were  let  off  and  complimentary 
guns  fired.  The  night  was  a  beautiful  one,  with  the  moon 
shining  in  a  cloudless  sky. 

Soon  after  leaving  Sandy  Hook,  Commodore  Vanderbilt 
requested  the  clergyman  on  board  to  conduct  family  worship 
throughout  the  voyage.  It  was  arranged  that  prayers  should 
be  attended  every  evening  at  nine  o'clock,  and  that  grace 
should  be  said  at  all  meals  on  board  ship.  On  Sundays  a 
sermon  was  preached  at  eleven  o'clock. 

A  little  incident  occurred,  just  before  the  ship  left  New 
York,  which  is  worth  noting.  An  hour  before  the  time  for 
sailing  the  firemen  struck  for  higher  wages.     Mr.  Vander- 


APPENDIX   C.  281 

bilt  refused  to  be  coerced  by  tlie  seeminpf  necessity  of  the 
case  :  he  would  not  hsten  for  a  moment  to  demands  so 
urged,  and  in  one  hour  selected  such  firemen  as  could  be 
collected,  and  started !  The  ship  ran  as  high  as  three 
hundretl  and  thirty-seven  miles  in  one  day,  and  the  trip 
across  was  made  in  a  little  over  ten  days. 

The  first  port  made  was  Southampton,  and  after  a  look 
at  Winchester  and  its  cathedral,  the  party  went  to  London. 
The  first  place  visited  was  the  Thames  Tunnel.  After  that 
the  sights  of  the  town  were  seen,  with  excursions  to  Wind- 
sor Castle,  Bristol,  Clifton,  Bath  and  other  places.  One  of 
the  first  i:)ersons  to  call  on  Mr.  Yanderbilt,  in.  London,  was 
George  Peabody.  He  otiered  the  nse  of  his  boxes  that 
evening  for  the  opera  at  Covent  Garden,  and  the  jDarty 
went.  The  Queen  and  Prince  Albert  were  also  present, 
and  "Les  Hnguenots  "  was  sung  by  Grisi,  Mario,  Castel- 
lan, Formes  and  Belletti.  Among  the  entertainments  at- 
tended by  the  Vanderbilts  was  a  dinner  given  by  Mr.  Pea- 
body  at  Richmond,  to  meet  Senator  Douglas ;  a  levee  by  the 
American  Minister,  ]\Ir.  Ingersoll ;  a  soiree  at  the  Mansion 
House,  by  the  Lord  Mayor,  Mr.  Carlyle  being  of  the  party. 
While  in  London  a  deputation  from  Southampton  waited 
on  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  proffering  a  public  entertainment.  The 
invitation  was  accepted.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Vanderbilt  and 
the  gentlemen  of  the  party  went  to  Ascot  to  attend  the 
races.  AVhile  in  London  Mr.  D.  B.  Allen  made  a  hasty  run 
to  Leipsic,  where  his  sou,  Mr.  William  V.  Allen,  was  being 
educated.     The  two  joined  the  party. 

On  June  13tli  a  public  banquet  was  given  to  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  and  his  party  by  the  Mayor  and  merchants  of 
Southampton.  Dinner  was  served  at  3  p.m.  in  the  Royal 
Victoria  Assembly  Rooms.  The  Mayor  led  Mrs.  Vanderbilt 
to  the  dining-room,  while  the  Commodore  took  out  the 
Lady  Mayoress.  Two  hundred  people  sat  down  to  dinner, 
surrounded  by  music,  flowers,  flags,  and  much  j)opular 
enthusiasm.  Many  sj^eeches  were  made,  and  the  Mayor,  in 
jDroposing  the  toast  to  Mr.  Vanderbilt  said,  among  other 
things,  that  "he  owed  his  position  entirely  to  his  own  in- 
dustry, perseverance,  and  extensive  knowledge  of  mankind. 
He  had  ever  been  an  enemy  to  all  monopoly,  and  that  was 
the  foundation  of  his  gz-eat  success.     And  then,  look  at  his 


282  APPENDIX   C. 

famil}' !  He  was  not  like  many  of  our  anchorites,  con- 
tented with  amassing  a  large  sum  of  money,  but  he  had 
brought  up  a  large  and  interesting  family."  Commodore 
Vanderbilt,  in  replying  said  : 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  It  af- 
fords me  sincere  pleasure  to  make  your  acquaintance.  It 
shows  that  we  are  all  one  people,  and  I  liojDe  that,  b}'  the 
power  of  steam,  our  common  countries  will  be  so  bound  to- 
gether that  no  earthly  power  can  separate  us.  Since  we 
landed  in  your  beautiful  town,  we  have  made  a  hasty  race 
over  part  of  her  Majesty's  dominions  ;  and,  were  I  able  to 
express  the  gratification  we  have  experienced  in  passing 
through  the  country  and  j'our  town,  and  the  interest  we 
feel  in  all  your  citizens  that  we  have  had  the  happiness  to 
meet,  I  am  fearful  you  would  construe  it  into  an  attempt 
to  make  a  speech.  But  I  must  refer  that  task  to  my  friend 
Mr.  Clark,  who  will  address  you  much  better  than  I  can 
possibly  do." 

]Mi-.  Clark  and  Mr.  La  Bau  made  speeches,  and  Mr.  Wil- 
liam H.  Vanderbilt  offered  his  thanks  for  the  reception 
they  had  given  to  the  toast,  and  kej^t  the  room  in  good 
humor  b}^  expressing  a  hope  that,  as  the  bump  of  cautious- 
ness had  always  distinguished  his  father,  they  would  allow 
the  son  to  exhibit  it  also,  by  saying  nothing  more,  especi- 
ally as  this  was  his  maiden  speech.  He  proposed  the  health 
of  "  The  Ladies  of  England." 

The  next  day  after  the  banquet.  Commodore  Vanderbilt 
entertained  some  five  hundred  of  the  people  of  Southamp- 
ton on  his  yacht,  and  gave  them  an  excursion  around  the 
Isle  of  Wight.  Refreshments  were  furnished  to  the  whole 
party,  and  there  was  music  and  dancing  on  deck. 

After  leaving  Southampton  the  Vanderbilt  party  visited 
Copenhagen  and  Peterhoff'.  At  the  later  place  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantine,  second  son  of  the  Emperor,  and  High 
Admiral  of  the  Russian  navy,  visited  Mr,  Vanderbilt  in 
the  royal  yacht,  and  sent  round  one  of  the  Emperor's  car- 
riages, with  the  royal  livery,  to  take  him  and  Mrs.  Vander- 
bilt round  the  place.  The  city  of  St.  Petersburg  was 
visited,  and  the  party  received  much  attention. 

After  revisiting  Copenhagen,  a  stay  of  nineteen  days  was 
made  in  Paris.     While  there  several  gentlemen  and  noble- 


APPENDIX   C.  283 

men  called  on  IVIr.  Vanderbilt,  urging  him  to  identif}^  him- 
self with  a  new  steamship  line  which  the  Government  jn'O- 
posed  to  open  with  North,  South,  and  Central  America. 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  gave  no  encouragement  to  these  overtures. 
His  aims  and  objects  were  strictly  private,  and  personal 
enjoyment  and  the  happiness  of  his  circle  was  all  he  at- 
tempted. 

While  the  North  Star  was  at  Ha^Te  she  was  visited  by 
thousands  of  persons,  the  Muaister  of  "War  among  others. 
The  only  accident  which  occurred  during  the  trij^  was  the 
loss  of  a  young  man  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  Robert  Ogden 
Flint,  one  of  the  crew,  who  got  knocked  overboard  by  the 
mainsheet,  as  he  stood  at  the  extreme  edge  of  the  stern. 
He  was  unable  to  swim  and  went  down  at  once.  Other 
places  visited  by  the  Vanderbilt  party  were  Gibraltar, 
Malaga,  Leghorn,  and  Florence.  At  the  latter  city  'Mr. 
Vanderbilt  sat  to  Mr.  Powers  for  his  bust,  and,  at  the  re- 
quest of  her  sons-in-law,  ]Mi-s.  Vanderbilt  had  her  portrait 
painted  by  Mr.  Hart.  The  journey  was  continued,  inclu- 
ding Pisa,  Ischia,  Naples,  Malta,  Pera,  Constantinople,  Tan- 
giers,  Madeira,  and  then  home,  the  number  of  miles  ac- 
complished being  15,024.  Fiftj'-eight  days  were  occupied 
in  sailing,  and  the  coal  consumed  amounted  to  2,200  tons. 
The  party  reached  home  on  Sei^tember  2;),  1853. 

The  London  Daily  Keics,  for  June  4, 1853,  had  "A  Word 
about  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  Yacht,"  saying,  among  other  things : 

"  An  American  merchant  has  just  arrived  in  London  on  a 
pleasure  trip.  He  has  come  by  train  from  Southampton, 
and  left  his  private  j'acht  behind  him  in  dock  at  that  port. 
This  yacht  is  a  monster  steamer.  Her  saloon  is  described 
as  larger  and  more  magnificent  than  that  of  any  ocean 
steamer  afloat,  aud  is  said  to  surpass  in  splendor  the 
Queen's  yacht.  Listening  to  the  details  of  the  grandeur 
of  this  new  floating  palace,  it  seems  natural  to  think  upon 
the  riches  of  her  owner,  and  to  associate  him  with  the  Cosmo 
de  Medicis,  the  Andrea  Fuggers,  Jaques  Coeurs,  the  Kich- 
ard  Whittingtons,  of  the  past,  but  this  is  wrong.  Mr.  Van- 
derbilt is  a  sign  of  the  times.  The  mediaeval  mei'chaiits 
just  named  stood  out  in  bold  relief  from  the  great  society 
of  their  day.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  is  a  legitimate  product  of  his 
country — the  Medicis,    Fuggers,  aud  others   were    excep- 


284  APPEISTDIX   C. 

tional  cases  in  theirs.  The}^  were  fortunate  monopolists 
who,  by  means  of  capital  and  crushing  privileges,  sucked 
up  the  wealth  of  the  community.  They  were  not  a  healthy 
growth,  but  a  kind  of  enormous  wen  on  the  body-politic. 
It  took  Florence  nearly  fifteen  centuries  to  produce  one 
Cosmo,  and  she  never  brought  forth  another.  America 
was  not  known  four  centuries  ago,  yet  she  turns  out  her 
Vanderbilts,  small  and  large,  every  year.  America,  which 
Avas  only  discovered  by  a  countryman  of  Cosmo  running 
against  it  by  mistake  on  his  way  to  the  Indies,  is  the  great 
arena  in  which  the  individual  energies  of  man,  rmcramped 
by  oppressive  social  iustitutions  or  absurd  social  traditions, 
have  full  play,  and  arrive  at  gigantic  development.  It  is 
the  tendenc}'  of  American  institutions  to  foster  the  general 
welfare,  and  to  j^ermit  the  unchecked  powers  of  the  highl}'- 
gifted  to  occupy  a  place  in  the  general  frame-work  of  so- 
ciety which  they  can  obtain  nowhere  else. 

"  The  great  feature  to  be  noticed  in  America  is  that  all  its 
citizens  have  full  permission  to  run  the  race  in  Avhich  Mr. 
Vanderbilt  has  gained  such  immense  prizes.  In  other  coun- 
tries, on  the  contrary,  they  are  trammeled  by  a  thousand 
restrictions.  Look  at  Liverpool.  Look  at  Manchester. 
Are  not  men  of  colossal  fortunes  to  be  found  there  ?  Is 
there  anj'thing  in  the  air  or  the  institutions  of  these  towns 
to  prevent  men  becoming  possessors  of  incomes  that  are 
reckoned  by  tens  of  thousands  ?  Possil)ly  not  :  but  there 
is  something  in  the  air  or  the  institutions  of  the  country 
of  which  these  towns  are  a  fraction  that  pi-events  these  men 
living  as  becomes  the  creators  of  stupendous  fortunes  by 
their  own  industry.  Your  men  of  wealth  here — your  mak- 
ers of  millions  for  themselves,  and  tens  of  millions  for  the 
country — too  often  spend  their  time,  their  intellect,  their 
labor,  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  take  rank  among 
a  class  of  men  Avho  occupy  their  present  position  in  virtue 
of  what  was  done  for  them  by  some  broad-shouldered  ad- 
ventui'er,  who.  fortunately  for  them,  lived  eight  hundred 
years  ago  in  Normandy.  Those  who  ought  to  be  the  Van- 
derbilts of  England  would  shrink  from  emj^loying  their 
wealth  in  the  magnificent  manner  adopted  by  their  Ameri- 
can friend.  They  would  dread  the  eft'ect  of  making  any 
unusual  display,  which  would  surely  subject  them  to  the 


APPENDIX   C.  285 

reproach  of  being  millionaires  and  parvenus.  Hore  is  the 
great  difterence  between  the  two  countries.  In  England  a 
man  is  apt  to  be  ashamed  of  having  matle  his  own  fortune, 
unless  he  has  done  so  in  one  of  the  few  roads  which  the 
aristocracy  condescend  to  travel  by — the  Bar,  the  Church, 
or  the  Army,  and,  if  he  is  vulgar  enough  not  to  be  ashamed 
of  himself,  his  wife  and  childi-en  make  amends,  by  sedu- 
lously avoiding  everything  which  can  put  other  people  in 
mind  of  their  origin.  We  wish  to  point  out,  as  we  have 
pointed  out  before,  the  essential  weakness,  the  vicious  con- 
dition of  English  society.  In  precisely  the  same  manner 
(although  in  an  infinitely  greater  degree)  as  the  English 
army  is  damaged  by  the  cold  shade  of  aristocrac}',  so  are 
English  society  and  the  English  nation  vitiated  by  the 
aristocratic  prejudices  that  run  through  it.-  Between  the 
cobbler  who  patches  a  shoe  and  the  merchant  who  imjDorts 
the  leather  to  make  it,  there  are  some  three  or  four  grades, 
the  members  of  each  of  which  would  scorn  to  associate 
with  those  of  the  grade  below.  It  is  time  that  the  million- 
aire should  cease  to  be  ashamed  of  having  made  his  own 
fortune.  It  is  time  that  the  middle  classes  should  take  the 
place  which  is  their  own  in  the  world  which  they  have 
made.  The  w'ork  has  been  taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
mighty  in  war,  and  given  to  those  who  are  strong  in  coun- 
cil— to  the  lords  of  the  elements,  to  the  tamers  of  the  great 
forces  of  nature.  These  must  take  their  position.  They 
must  assert  it,  and  scorn  to  put  up  with  the  faded  distinc- 
tions that  formed  the  glory  of  the  ruling  classes  centuries 
back.  The  middle  classes  of  England  are  the  creators  of 
its  wealth  and  the  source  of  its  powers.  Let  them  take 
example  from  America,  and  not  shrink  from  acting  as  if 
they  knew  this." 


APPENDIX    D. 

COMMODORE   VANDERBILT'S  WILL. 

I,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  of  the  City  of  New  York,  do  make 
and  publish  my  last  will  and  testament  as  follow  : 

Fird. — I  direct  my  executors,  immediately  after  my  de- 
cease, to  pay  to  mjr  beloved  wife,  Frank  A.  Vanderbilt,  the  sum 
of  $500,000,  in  bonds  of  the  United  States  of  America,  of  the 
five  per  cent,  loan,  under  the  Act  of  Congress  approved 
March  3,  1864,  commonly  known  as  ten-forty  bonds,  at  par, 
in  performance  of  the  ante-nu^Dtial  contract  made  by  and 
between  me,  and  the  said  Frank  A.,  bearing  date  the  20th 
day  of  August,  1869,  whereby  I  agreed  that,  if  she  should 
survive  me  as  my  widow,  my  executor  or  administrator 
should  immediately  after  my  death  pay  to  her  $500,000  in 
the  first  mortgage  bonds  of  the  New  York  and  Hudson 
River  Railroad  Comj^any  at  par,  and  she  agreed  to  waive 
and  release  all  dower  in  my  estate,  except  such  sum  of 
$500,000  of  bonds.  This  direction  or  bequest  is  on  con- 
dition that  my  said  wife  do  accept  the  same  as  performance 
of  my  part  of  said  ante-nuptial  contract  and  in  lieu  of  dower 
in  any  and  all  real  estate  which  I  may  have  been  seized  at 
any  time  during  my  marriage  with  her  and  of  all  claims 
upon  or  share  in  the  personal  estate  of  which  I  may  die 
possessed,  excejDt  as  hereinafter  ex^Dressly  bequeathed  to 
her.  I  also  give,  devise,  and  bequeath  to  my  said  wife, 
Frank  A,  the  house  and  lot.  No.  10  Washington  Place,  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  with  the  appurtenances  and  also  the 
stables  therein  contained  for  and  during  her  natural  life.  I 
also  give  and  bequeath  to  her,  absolutely,  all  the  furniture, 
pictures,  and  other  household  articles,  "which  may  be  in  or 
appurtenant  to  said  house  at  the  time  of  my  decease,  in- 
cluding* books,  musical  instruments,  plate  and  all  other 


APPE^fDIX   D.  287 

chattels  of  that  kind,  but  exceptinpf  the  portraits  of  my 
raotlicr  and  my  deceased  wife,  which  two  portraits  I  give 
to  m}^  grandson,  ConieHus  Vanderljilt,  Jr.,  son  of  my  son, 
William  H.,  in  fee.  I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said 
wife,  two  carriages,  and  one  j^air  of  carriage  horses,  and  the 
harness  appurtenant  thereto,  to  be  selected  by  her  from 
those  I  may  own  at  the  time  of  my  decease. 

Second. — I  give  and  becpieath  unto  my  five  daughters — 
Pliebe  Jane,  wife  of  James  M.  Cross  ;  Emily,  wife  of  Will- 
iam K.  Thorn  ;  Marie  Louise,  widow  of  Horace  F.  Clark, 
deceased ;  Sophia,  wife  of  Daniel  Torrance  ;  and  Mary 
Alicia,  widow  of  N.  Bergasse  Le  Bau,  deceased  ;  for  their 
own  use,  $1,250,000  of  the  registered  bonds  of  the  Lake 
Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  of  $5,000 
each,  dated  December  1,  1875,  payable  December  1,  1903, 
being  part  of  an  issue  of  not  exceeding  $25,000,000  secured 
by  a  mortgage  on  the  railroad  of  said  company  to  the  Union 
Trust  Company  of  New  York,  dated  the  1st  of  May,  in  the 
year  of  1872,  making  together  $1,250,000  of  bonds,  which 
I  direct  to  be  divided  by  my  executors  among  my  five 
daughters  before  named,  in  equal  shares,  as  soon  as  can 
conveniently  be  done  after  my  decease. 

Third. — I  give  and  bequeath  unto  the  trustees  hereinafter 
appointed  $1,100,000  of  the  ten-forty  bonds  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  of  the  five  per  cent,  loan  described  in  the 
first  clause  of  this  will,  in  trust  for  the  uses  and  purposes  here- 
inafter set  forth,  viz.  :  In  trust  to  set  apart  and  hold  $100,000 
of  said  bonds,  and  to  receive  the  interest  thereon  as  it  ac- 
crues, and  pay  the  same  over  to  my  daughter  Mrs.  Ethelinda 
Allen,  wife  of  Daniel  B.  Allen,  for  and  during  her  natural 
life,  for  her  separate  use,  and  upon  her  separate  receipt,  it 
being  my  will  that  she  shall  not  have  power  to  anticipate 
such  income,  not  to  transfer  or  dispose  of  her  right  to  re- 
ceive the  same  or  any  part  thereof.  And  upon  the  decease 
of  my  said  daughtei",  Ethelinda  I  give  and  bequeath  the 
last-mentioned  $400,000  of  bonds  unto  her  children  who 
may  survive  her,  and  the  lawful  issue  of  any  of  her  children 
who  may  have  died  before  her,  such  issue  to  take  the  share 
or  shares  which  their  parent  or  parents  would  have  taken  if 
living,  and  in  default  of  her  leaving  any  lawful  issue,  her 
surviving,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  last  mentioned  bonds, 


283  APPENDIX   D. 

after  her  decease,  to  my  residuary  legatee,  hereinafter 
named. 

[The  will  also  directed  that  the  sum  of  $300,000  be  set 
ajDart,  as  in  the  manner  of  Mrs.  Allen,  for  Mrs,  Eliza  Os- 
good, wife  of  George  A.  Osgood,  the  bonds  u^Don  her  de- 
cease to  go  unto  the  "  residuary  legatee."  The  sum  of 
!^500,000  was  also  set  apart  for  the  use  of  Mi's.  Catharine 
Lafitte,  Avife  of  Gustave  Lafitte,  the  sum  to  be  divided 
among  her  children  after  her  decease.  Should  she  leave 
no  children,  "said  bonds  shall  go  to  her  next  of  kin  as  if 
she  had  died  intestate  owning  said  bonds."  The  will  also 
set  apart  $200,000,  the  interest  thereof  to  be  applied  "  to 
the  maintenance  and  support  of  my  son,  Cornelius  J.  Van- 
derbilt,  during  his  natural  life."  "And  I  authorize,"  said 
the  will,  "  said  trustees,  in  their  discretion,  instead  of 
themselves  making  the  application  of  said  interest  money  to 
his  support,  to  pay  over  from  time  to  time,  to  my  said  son, 
for  his  support,  such  portions  as  they  may  deem  advisable, 
or  the  whole  of  the  interest  of  said  bonds.  But  no  part  of 
such  interest  is  to  be  paid  to  any  assignee  of  my  said  son, 
or  to  any  creditor  who  may  seek  by  legal  proceedings  to 
obtain  the  same  ;  and  in  case  my  said  son  should  make  any 
transfer  or  assignment  of  his  beneficial  interest  in  said 
bonds  or  the  interest  thereof  or  encumber  the  same,  or  at- 
tempt so  to  do,  the  said  interest  of  said  bonds  shall  there- 
upon cease  to  be  applicable  to  his  use,  and  shall  thenceforth, 
during  the  residue  of  his  natural  life,  belong  to  my  residu- 
ary legatee.  Upon  the  decease  of  my  said  son,  Cornelius 
J.,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  last  mentioned  $200,000  of 
bonds  to  my  residuary  legatee." 

Fourth. — I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  sister,  Phebe  Van- 
derbilt,  $1,200  per  annum  during  her  natural  life.  To  my 
niece,  Phebe  Ann  Blake,  $300  per  annum  during  her  natural 
life  ;  and  Rebecca  Little  and  her  davighter  Cornelia,  during 
their  joint  lives,  and  to  the  survival  of  them,  during  her 
natural  life,  the  sum  of  $200  per  annum.  And  I  direct 
that  the  annuities  in  this  fourth  clause  provided  for,  do 
commence  from  the  time  of  m}'  decease,  and  the  first  ])a3'- 
ment  thereof  be  made  in  six  months  thereafter,  and  the  said 
annuities  be  paid  half-yearly  thereafter. 

Fiflh. — I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  brother,  Jacob  H. 


APPENDIX   D.  280 

Vanderbilt,  150,000  of  tlie  first  mortgage  bonds  of  the 
Stateii  Island  lliiihvay  Company,  dated  the  first  day  of 
April,  1878,  and  payable  the  1st  day  of  April,  1893,  with 
interest  at  seven  2)er  cent,  per  annum,  payable  semi-annu- 
ally ;  to  my  niece,  Annie  Iloot,  daughter  of  my  sister  Ellen, 
?«20,000  of  like  bonds  of  the  Staten  Island  liaihvay  Com- 
l")any  ;  to  my  nephew,  Cornelius  Y.  De  Forest,  two  regis- 
tered bonds,  of  $5,000  each,  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michi- 
gan Southern  Railway  Company,  of  the  issue  described  in 
the  second  clause  of  this  will ;  to  my  niece,  Phebe  Ann 
Dustan,  6^5,000  of  the  consolidated  seven  per  cent,  mort- 
gage bonds  of  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railway  Company 
of  the  issue  described  in  the  second  clause  of  this  will  ;  to 
Mrs.  Sophia  "NYhite,  daughter  of  Andrew  Hinslie,  §5,000  of 
like  bonds  ;  to  Charlotte  Haskell,  daughter  of  my  sister 
Charlotte,  $>5,000  of  such  bonds ;  to  each  of  the  three 
daughters  of  my  niece,  Mrs.  Phebe  Ann  Dustan,  85,000  of 
such  bonds ;  to  Charles  Simonson,  son  of  my  nephew  Charles 
M.  Simonson,  deceased,  $10,000  of  like  bonds  ;  to  my  family 
physician,  Dr.  Jared  Linsly,  '810,000  of  like  bonds  ;  to  Cap- 
tain James  Braisted,  formally  in  my  employ,  84,000  of  such 
bonds  ;  and  to  Lambert  AYardell,  an  old  and  faithful  clerk, 
820,000  of  such  bonds,  provided  he  is  in  my  service  at  the 
time  of  my  decease.  I  further  give  and  bequeath  unto  my 
grandson,  William  K.  Thorn,  Jr.,  son  of  my  daughter  Emily, 
825,000  of  registered  bonds  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michi- 
gan Southern  Railway  Company,  of  85,000  each,  of  the  issue 
hereinbefore  mentioned  ;  to  Samuel  Patten  Hand,  son  of 
Obediah  Hand,  a  brother  of  my  mother,  one  of  such  regis- 
tered bonds  of  said  company  of  85,000  ;  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Charles  F.  Deems,  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Strangers, 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  >  20,000  of  such  registered  bonds 
of  said  company  of  85,000  each ;  to  ]\Irs.  Maria  Lecher, 
wife  of  General  Gordon  Granger,  810,000  of  such  registered 
bonds  of  said  company  of  85,000  each  ;  and  to  the  wife  of 
my  nephew,  Samuel  Barton,  825,000  of  first  mortgage  bonds 
of  the  Staten  Island  Railway  Company  of  the  issue  in  this 
clause  of  my  vdll  before  desciibed." 

[The  sixth  clause  of  the  will  provides  for  the  purchase  of 
bonds  to  make  the  above  legacies  good,  in  case  he  should 
not  have  those  described  on  hand  at  the  time  of  his  death.] 
13 


290  APPEIiDIX   D. 

[The  seventh  clause  of  the  will  relates  to  the  payment  of 
taxes  in  respect  to  the  bequests.] 

Eighth. — All  the  rest,  residue,  and  remainder  of  the  prop- 
erty and  estate,  real  and  personal,  of  every^  description,  and 
wheresoever  situated,  of  which  I  may  be  seized  or  possessed, 
and  to  which  I  may  be  entitled  at  the  time  of  my  decease, 
I  give,  devise,  and  bequeath  unto  my  son,  William  H.  Yan- 
derbilt,  his  heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns,  to 
his  and  their  own  use  forever. 

Ninth. — I  constitute  and  appoint  my  son,  William  H. 
Vanderbilt,  and  my  grandson,  Cornelius,  son  of  the  said  Will- 
iam H.,  and  also,  when  he  shall  become  of  age,  my  gTandson 
William,  and  the  sou  of  the  said  William  H.,  and  also  my 
before-named  nephew,  Samuel  Barton,  executors  of  this, 
my  will,  and  trustees  of  the  several  trust  estates  hereinbe- 
fore created.  And  should  any  of  the  said  trvistees  refuse 
or  be  unable  to  act  as  such,  or  resign  their  trusteeshi}),  the 
said  trusts,  together  with  the  estates  and  powers  hereinbe- 
fore granted  to  the  trustees,  shall  rest  in  those  of  the  said 
ti'ustees  who  shall  act.  And  should  any  of  the  said  trus- 
tees die,  the  said  trust  estates,  trusts  and  powers  shall 
rest  in  the  siu'vivors  and  the  suiwivor  of  them.  But  it  is 
my  will  that  no  commissions  or  compensation  shall  be 
charged  to  my  estate,  or  to  any  of  the  said  trust  estates, 
or  to  any  of  the  persons  for  whose  benefit  the  said 
trusts  are  created,  b}"  said  executors  or  trustees,  for  their 
services  as  such  executors  or  trustees  ;  it  being  my  inten- 
tion that  they  shall  serve  as  such  executors  and  trustees 
without  any  compensation  whatever,  and  they  are  severally 
appointed  on  that  condition.  And  should  either  of  theii^ 
refuse  to  qualify  and  act,  or  to  continue  to  serve  as  such 
executor  and  trustee  Avithout  compensation,  his  ajipoint- 
ment  herein  contained  shall  be  void  and  of  no  effect.  And 
should  my  nephew,  Samuel  Bariou,  refuse  to  act  as  such 
executor  and  trustee  without  compensation,  the  bequest  to 
his  Avife  hereinbefore  contained  shall  become  void,  and  the 
bonds  bequeathed  to  her  shall  revert  to  my  residuary  es- 
tate. 

Tenth — It  is  my  Avill  that  in  case  any  direction  or  provision 
of  this  my  will  should  be  held  illegal  or  void,  or  fail  to 
take  effect  for  any  reason,  no    other  part   of  this   my  will 


APPENDIX   D.  291 

shall  1)0  thoreb}'  invalidated,  impaired  or  affected,  but  this 
my  will  shall  be  continued  and  take  effect  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  if  the  invalid  direction  or  permission  had  not  been 
contained  therein.  And  should  any  of  the  legacies  herein 
lapse,  the  same  shall  go  to  my  residuaiy  legatee  before 
named. 

Lastly. — I  hereby  revoke  all  Avills  and  codicils  by  me  at 
any  time  heretofore  made. 

In  witness  whereof  I  have  set  my  hand  and  seal  to  this 
my  last  will,  written  on  twenty-four  pages  of  paper,  at  the 
city  of  New  York,  the  9th  day  of  January,  in  the  year  1875. 

C.  Vanderbilt. 

Signed,  sealed,  published  and  declared  by  Cornelius  Van- 
derbilt, the  testator,  as  and  for  his  last  will  and  testament, 
in  the  presence  of  us,  wdio,  at  his  request,  and  in  his  pres- 
ence, and  in  the  presence  of  each  othei',  have  hereunto 
subscribed  our  names  as  witnesses. 

Francis  P.  Freeman, 
140  West  Forty-third  St.,  New  York. 

Sidney  A.  Corey, 
122  East  Thirty-seventh  St.,  New  York. 

Joseph  Harker, 
Everett  House,  New  York, 

Charles  A.  Rapallo, 
17  West  Thirty-first  St.,  New  York, 

CODICIL. 

I,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  do  make  a  codicil  to  my  last  will 
and  testament,  which  bears  date  the  9tli  day  of  January, 
1875,  and  is  hereto  annexed,  as  follows,  viz.  : 

First. — I  give  and  bequeath  unto  m}^  grandson,  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  Jr.,  son  of  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  all  the  shares 
of  capital  stock  of  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  Com- 
pany which  now  stand  in  the  name  of  my  said  grandson 
on  the  books  of  said  company,  and  of  which  I  hold  the 
cei'tificates  in  my  possession,  being  22,396  shares  ;  also  all 
the  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of  the  New  York  Central  and 
Hudson  River  Railroad  company  now  standing  in  the  name 
of  my  said  grandson  on  the  books  of  the  last-named  com- 


292  APPE^STDIX   D. 

pany,  and  of  which  I  hold  the  certificates  in  any  j)ossession, 
being  31,650  shares." 

[In  the  second  clause  of  the  codicil,  he  gave  to  his  grand- 
son, William  K.  Vauderbilt,  20,000  shares  of  New  York 
Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company.] 

[In  the  third  clause  he  gave  to  Frederick  W.  Vanderbilt 
the  same  number  of  shares  in  the  same  company.  In  the 
fourth  clause  he  gave  the  same  amount  to  George  Vander- 
bilt. In  the  fifth  clause  he  gave  2,000  shares  of  the  capital 
stock  of  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad 
Compaiiy  to  his  wife,  in  addition  to  the  bequests  to  her  in 
his  will.     The  codicil  was  dated  June  30,  1875.] 


APPENDIX   E. 

The  following  letter  was  written,  explanatory  of  the  large 
charity : 

New  York,  October  17,  1884. 
Dr.  John  C  Dalton, 
President  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  been  for  some  time  examining  tlie 
question  of  the  facilities  for  medical  education  whicli  New 
York  possesses.  The  doctors  have  claimed  that  with  proper 
encouragement,  this  city  might  become  one  of  tlie  most  im- 
portant centres  of  medical  instruction  in  the  world. 

The  health,  comfort,  and  lives  of  the  whole  community  are 
so  dependent  upon  skilled  physicians,  that  no  jarofession  re- 
quires more  care  in  the  preparation  of  its  j^ractitioners.  Medi- 
cine needs  a  permanent  home  where  the  largest  opportunities 
can  be  aftbrded  for  both  theory  and  practice.  In  making  up 
my  mind  to  give  substantial  aid  to  the  effort  to  create  in  New 
York  City  one  of  the  first  medical  schools  in  the  world,  I  have 
been  somewhat  embarrassed  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  ob- 
ject could  be  most  quickly  and  efl'ectively  reached.  It  seems 
wiser  and  more  practical  to  enlarge  an  existing  institution,  which 
already  has  great  facilities,  experience,  and  reputation,  than  to 
form  a  new  one.  I  have,  therefore,  selected  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  because  it  is  the  oldest  medical  school 
in  the  State,  and  of  equal  rank  with  any  in  the  United  States. 

I  have  decided  to  give  to  the  College  .^500, 000,  of  which  I 
have  expended  §200, 000  in  the  j^urchase  of  twenty-nine  lots,  situ- 
ated at  Tenth  Avenue  and  Fifty-ninth  and  Sixtieth  Streets,  the 
deed  of  which  please  find  herewith  ;  and  in  selecting  this  loca- 
tion, I  have  consulted  with  your  treasurer,  Dr.  McLean.  The 
other  .^300,000  please  find  inclosed  my  check  for.  The  latter 
sum  is  to  form  a  building-fund  for  the  erection  thereon  from 
time  to  time  of  suitable  buildings  for  the  college. 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  H.  Ya>;derbilt. 

Letters  of  thanks  were  sent  to  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  by  Dr. 
Dalton,  by  the  Faculty  of  the  College,  by  the  Trustees,  the 
Alumni  Association,  and  the  students. 


APPENDIX   F. 

The  New  York  papers  on  the  morning  of  January  12, 
1885,  published  tlie  letters  which  passed  between  Will- 
iam H.  Vanderbilt  and  General  and  Mrs.  U.  S.  Grant. 
They  are  thoroughly  characteristic  of  the  writers,  and  call 
for  no  cominent.  The  correspondence  began  with  the  fol- 
lowing letter  : 

640  Fifth  Avenxie,  January  10,  1885. 
Mrs.  Ulysses  S.  Grant. 

Dear  Madam  :  So  many  misrepresentations  have  appeared 
in  regard  to  tlie  loan  made  by  me  to  General  Grant,  and  reflect- 
ing unjustly  upon  him  and  myself,  that  it  seems  proper  to 
briefly  recite  the  facts. 

On  Sunday,  May  4th  last,  General  Grant  called  at  my  resi- 
dence and  asked  me  to  loan  him  i5150,000  for  one  day.  I  gave 
him  my  check  without  question,  not  because  the  transaction 
was  business-like,  but  simjjly  because  the  request  came  from 
General  Grant.  The  misfortune  which  overwhelmed  him  in 
the  next  twenty-four  hours  aroused  the  sympathy  and  regret  of 
the  whole  country.  You  and  he  sent  me,  within  a  few  days  of 
the  time,  the  deeds  of  your  joint  properties  to  cover  this  obliga- 
tion, antl  urged  my  acceptance  on  the  ground  that  this  was  the 
only  debt  of  honor  which  the  General  had  personally  incurred, 
and  these  deeds  I  returned. 

During  my  absence  in  Europe  the  General  delivered  to  my 
attorney  mortgages  upon  all  his  own  real  estate,  household 
effects,  and  the  swords,  medals,  and  works  of  art  which  were 
the  memorials  of  his  victories,  and  the  presents  from  govern- 
ments all  over  the  world.  These  securities  were,  in  his  judg- 
ment, worth  the  ^150,000.  At  his  solicitation  the  necessary 
steps  were  taken  by  judgment,  etc.,  to  reduce  these  properties 
to  possession,  and  the  articles  mentioned  have  been  this  day 
bought  in  by  me,  and  the  amount  bid  applied  to  the  reduction 
of  the  debt.  Now  that  I  am  at  liberty  to  treat  these  things  as 
my  own,  the  disposition  of  the  whole  matter   most  in  accord 


APPENDIX   F.  295 

Avith  my  feelings  is  this  :  I  jiresent  to  yon,  as  your  separate  es- 
tate, the  debt  and  jndpfnicut  I  hohl  against  General  Grant,  also 
the  mortgages  njion  his  real  estate,  and  all  the  household  fnr- 
niture  and  ornaments,  conpled  only  with  the  condition  that  the 
swords,  commissions,  medals,  gifts  from  the  United  States, 
States,  citie?,  and  foreign  governments,  and  all  articles  of  his- 
torical vahie  and  interest  shall,  at  the  General's  death,  or,  if 
yon  desire  it  sooner,  be  presented  to  the  Government  at  Wash- 
ington, where  they  will  remain  as  perpetual  memorials  of  his 
fame  and  of  the  history  of  his  time. 

I  inclose  herewith  assignments  to  you  of  the  mortgages 
and  judgments,  a  bill  of  sale  of  the  jiersonal  proiierty,  and  a 
deed  of  trust  in  which  the  articles  of  historical  interest  are 
enumerated.  A  copy  of  this  trust-deed  will,  with  your  ap- 
proval, be  forwarded  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  for 
deposit  in  the  proper  department. 

Trusting  that    this   action  will  meet  with    your    acceptance 
and  approval,  and  with  kind  regards  to  your  husband, 
I  am,  yours  respectfully, 

"VT.  H.  Vanberbilt. 

Xew  York  Crrv,  January  10,  1885. 

Dear  Sir  :  Mrs.  Grant  wishes  me  to  answer  your  letter  of  this 
evening  to  say  that  while  she  appreciates  your  great  generosity 
in  transfeiTing  to  her  the  mortgage  given  to  secure  my  debt  of 
§150,000,  she  cannot  accept  it  in  whole.  Siie  accepts  with 
pleasure  the  trust  which  ai>plies  to  articles  enumerated  in  your 
letter  to  go  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  at  my 
death  or  sooner,  at  her  option.  In  this  matter  you  have  an- 
ticipated the  disposition  which  I  had  contemplated  making  of 
the  articles.  They  will  be  delivered  to  the  Government  as  soon 
as  arrangements  can  be  made  for  their  reception. 

Papers  relating  to  all  other  j^roperty  will  be  returned,  with 
the  request  that  you  have  it  sold  and  the  proceeds  a^iplied  to 
the  liquidation  of  the  debt  wliich  I  so  justly  owe  you.  You 
have  stated  in  your  letter,  with  the  minutest  accuracy,  the  history 
of  the  transaction  whicli  brought  me  in  your  debt.  I  have  only 
to  add  that  I  regard  your  giving  me  your  check  for  the  amount 
without  inquiry  as  an  act  of  marked  and  unusual  friendship. 
The  loan  was  to  me  personally.  I  got  the  money,  as  I  believed, 
to  carry  the  Marine  National  Bank  over  a  day,  being  assured 
that  the  bank  was  solvent,  but  owing  to  unusual  calls  needed 
assistance  until  it  could  call  in  its  loans.  I  was  assured  by 
Fertliuand  Ward  that  the  firm  of  Grant  &  Ward  had  over 
§660,000  to  their  credit,  at  that  time  in  the  Marine  Bank,  be- 
sides 81,300,000  of  unpledged  securities  in  their  own  vaults. 


296  APPEISTDIX   F. 

I  cannot  conclude  withoiit  assuring  you  that  Mrs.  Grant's 
inability  to  avail  herself  of  your  great  kindness  in  no  way  lessens 
either  her  sense  of  obligation  or  my  own. 

Yours  truly, 

tl.  S.  Grant. 
W.  H.  Vandekbilt,  Esq. 


640  Fifth  A-^-entje,  January  11, 1885. 
General  U.  S.  Grant. 

Mx  Dear  Sir  :  On  my  return  home  last  night  I  foitnd  your 
letter  in  answer  to  mine  to  Mrs.  Grant.  I  aj^iireciate  fully  the 
sentiments  which  actuate  both  Mrs.  Grant  and  yourself  in  de- 
clining the  part  of  my  lirojDosition  relating  to  the  real  estate.  I 
greatly  regret  that  she  feels  it  her  duty  to  make  this  decision, 
as  I  earnestly  hoped  that  the  spirit  in  which  the  offer  was  made 
would  overcome  any  scruples  in  accepting  it.  But  I  must  in- 
sist that  I  shall  not  be  defeated  iu  a  puri^ose  to  which  I  have 
given  so  much  thought,  and  which  I  have  so  much  at  heart.  I 
will,  therefore,  as  fast  as  the  money  is  received  from  the  sales 
of  the  real  estate,  deposit  it  in  the  Union  Trust  Company. 
With  the  money  thus  realized  I  will  at  once  create  with  that 
company  a  trust,  with  proper  jMovisious  for  the  income  to  be 
paid  to  Mrs.  Grant  during  her  life,  and  giving  the  power  to  her 
to  make  such  disposition  of  the  princijial  by  will  as  she  may 
elect.  Very  truly  yoiirs, 

W.  H.  Vanderbilt. 


New  York  City,  January  11,  1885. 
Dear  Sir  :  Y'our  letter  of  this  date  is  received.  Mrs.  Grant 
and  I  regret  that  you  cannot  accept  our  proposition  to  retain 
the  property  which  was  mortgaged  in  good  faith  to  secure  a 
debt  of  honor.  But  your  generous  determination  compels  us 
to  no  longer  resist.  Yours  truly, 

U.  S.  Grant. 
W.  H.  Vanderbilt. 

New  York,  Sunday,  January  11. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Vanderbilt  : 

Upon  reading  your  letter  of  this  afternoon  General  Grant  and 
myself  felt  that  it  would  be  ungracious  to  refuse  your  princely 
and  generous  offer.  Hence  his  note  to  you.  But  upon  reflec- 
tion, I  find  that  I  cannot,  I  will  not,  accept  your  munificence 
in  auv  form. 


APPENDIX   F.  207 

I  heg  that  yon  will  pardon  this  apparent  vacillation,  and  con- 
sider this  answer  detinite  and  final. 

With  great  regard  and  a  sense  of  obligation  that  will  always 
remain.  I  am,  yours  veiy  gratefully, 

Julia  D.  Grant. 

To  Mk.  W.  H.  Vandeebilt. 

This  action  was  not  taken  without  serious  consideration 
by  both  parties,  and  Messrs.  Chauucey  M.  Depew  and 
Wliitehiw  Keid  were  consulted  by  the  principals  several 
times  between  the  incurring  of  the  obligation  and  the  writ- 
ing of  these  letters. 

The  final  declination  of  Mrs.  Grant's  was  afterward  mod- 
ified so  far  as  to  accept  for  the  Government  the  trophies 
and  souvenirs  turned  over  to  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  and  these 
were  sent  to  Washington  ;  the  rest  of  the  mortgaged  prop- 
erty was  sold  and  went  toward  the  liquidation  of  the  debt. 
The  loan  having  been  effected  by  an  exchange  of  checks, 
and  General  Grant's  check  proving  not  to  be  good,  it  was 
felt  by  the  family  that  to  pay  the  debt  was  the  only  honor- 
able thing  to  do. 
13* 


APPENDIX   G. 

THE   WILL. 

Following  is  the  full  text  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  will,  with 
the  exception  of  the  formal  descrijjtiou  of  the  real  estate 
embraced  in  his  late  residence  and  the  stables  belonging 
thereto,  and  in  the  houses  which  the  testator  bequeaths  to 
his  four 'daughters  : 

I,  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  of  the  City  of  New  York,  do 
make  and  publish  my  last  will  and  testament  as  follows, 
viz.  : 

First. — I  devise  unto  my  beloved  wife,  Maria  Louisa,  for 
and  during  her  natural  life,  the  dwelling-house  in  which  I 
now  reside  and  the  lot  on  which  it  stands.  ...  I  also 
give  and  devise  to  my  said  wife,  for  and  during  her  natural 
life,  the  three  lots  of  laud  on  the  northeasterly  corner  of 
Madison  Avenue  and  Fifty-second  Street,  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  .  .  .  together  with  the  stables  and  improvements 
thereon  erected.  I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  her,  for  and 
during  her  natural  life,  all  the  paintings,  pictures,  statuary 
and  w'orks  of  art  which  I  may  own  at  the  time  of  my  de- 
cease, except  the  portrait  and  the  marble  bust  of  my  father, 
which  I  have  bequeathed  to  inj  son  Cornelius.  I  also  give 
and  bequeath  to  her,  for  and  during  her  natural  life,  all  the 
furniture  of  every  descrijjtion — including  plate,  silver, 
library,  ornaments,  musical  instruments  and  other  articles 
of  household  vise — which  may  at  the  time  of  m}'  decease  be 
in  or  appurtenant  to  my  present  residence,  corner  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Fifty-first  Street,  and  also  all  the  horses,  carri- 
ages, vehicles,  harness,  stable  furniture  and  implements 
which  I  may  have  on  hand  at  the  time  of  my  decease  and 
usually  kept  in  my  said  stables,  on  Madison  Avenue  and 


APPENDIX   G.  299 

Fiftj'-second  Street ;  and  I  empower  my  wife  during  her 
life  to  exchange  or  dispose  of  any  of  my  said  household 
furniture  and  other  chattels,  except  pictures,  statuary,  and 
■works  of  art,  and  of  any  of  said  horses,  carriages,  and  stable 
furniture  to  such  extent  as  she  shall  deem  necessary  from 
time  to  time,  to  renew  or  replace  the  same. 

I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said  wife  an  annuity  of 
$200,000  per  annum  daring  her  natural  life,  to  be  computed 
from  the  date  of  my  decease,  and  jjaid  to  her  in  equal  quar- 
ter-yearly payments  thereafter.  And  I  direct  that  a  sum 
sufficient  to  produce  such  annuity  be  set  aj^art  and  at  all 
times  safely  invested  by  my  executors  for  that  purpose 
during  the  life  of  my  wife  ;  and  I  empower  her  to  dispose 
by  will  of  $500,000  of  the  jDrincipal  of  the  sum  so  directed 
to  be  set  apart  in  any  manner  she  may  desire  and  which 
shall  be  legal. 

All  taxes,  assessments,  and  charges  which  may  be  imj)osed 
on  the  real  estate  devised  to  my  wife  for  life  shall  be  pay- 
able b}^  her  during  the  same  period.  And  I  declare  that 
the  foregoing  devises  and  bequests  to  her  are  to  be  in  lieu 
of  dower. 

Second. — I  devise  uuto  my  daughter,  Margaret  Louisa, 
wife  of  Elliott  F.  Shepard,  Esq.,  her  heirs  and  assigns  for- 
ever, the  house  in  which  she  now  resides  and  the  lot  on 
which  it  stands  ...  at  Fifty-second  Street  and  Fifth 
Avenue,  southwest  corner,  together  with  all  my  rights  iu 
Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty-second  Street  in  front  of  said 
premises,  excepting,  however,  out  of  the  lot  of  land  hereby 
devised  and  described  an  irregular  strip  of  laud,  part  of  the 
rear  thei'eof,  which  strip  extends  from  the  southerly  line  of 
Fifty-second  Street  to  a  line  parallel  therewith,  and  distant 
44  feet  southerly  therefrom,  and  is  7  feet  and  11  inches  wide 
at  Fifty-second  Street,  narrowing  by  jogs  and  curves  to  4  feet 
4 j  inches  in  the  rear,  as  now  inclosed  by  the  iron  fence 
which  separates  said  strip  from  the  residue  of  the  lot  iu 
this  clause  described. 

Third. — I  devise  to  my  daughter  Emily  Thorn,  wife  of 
William  Sloane,  her  heirs  and  assigns,  the  middle  one  of 
the  three  houses  erected  by  me  on  the  westerly  side  of  Fifth 
Avenue,  between  Fifty-tirst  and  Fifty-second  Streets,  and  the 
lot  on  which  it  stands,  which  lot  is  bounded  and  described 


300  APPENDIX   G. 

as  follows  :  Easterly  in  front  by  Fifth  Avenue,  westerly  in 
the  rear  by  a  line  parallel  with  Fifth  Avenvie  and  distant 
149  feet  and  114-  inches  westerh'  from  the  westerly  line 
thereof,  northerly  by  the  lot  of  land  herein  before  devised 
to  my  daughter  Margaret  Louisa  and  by  said  strip  expected 
therefrom,  and  southerly  by  the  lot  of  land  hereinbefore 
devised  to  my  wife  for  life,  containing  53  feet  5  inches  in 
width  in  front  on  Fifth  Avenue  and  39  feet  and  7  inches  in 
width  in  the  rear,  and  embracing  all  the  land  lying  between 
the  lots  described  in  the  first  and  second  clauses  of  this 
will.  I  also  devise  to  my  said  daughter  Emily,  her  heirs 
and  assigns,  for  the  purpose  of  being  kept  open  as  a  rear 
entrance  to  the  premises  devised  to  her,  the  before  described 
irregular  strij)  of  land  excepted  from  the  rear  part  of  the 
lot  in  the  second  clause  of  this  will  described  and  extend- 
ing to  Fifty-second  Street. 

Fourth. — I  devise  lauto  my  daughter  Florence  Adele,  wife 
of  Hamilton  McK.  Twombly,  her  heirs  and  assigns  forever, 
the  lot  of  land  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Fifty-fourth  Street,  in  said  city,  and  part  of  the  lot  in  the 
rear  thereof  fronting  on  Fifty-fourth  Street,  ...  to- 
gether with  the  dwelling-house  erected  on  said  premises, 
and  all  my  right,  title,  and  interest  in  and  to  the  street  and 
avenue  bounding  said  premises. 

Flfth.~l  de^dseunto  my  daughter  Eliza  O.,  wife  of  Will- 
iam S.  Webb,  her  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  the  lot  of  land 
on  the  westerly  side  of  Fifth  Avenue,  next  adjoining  on  the 
south  the  corner  lot  described  in  the  next  preceding  fourth 
clause  of  this  will,  and  also  the  remaining  part  of  said  rear 
lot  fronting  on  Fift^'-fourth  Street,  said  premises  beginning 
at  a  point  on  the  westerly  side  of  Fifth  Avenue,  distant  48 
feet  3^  inches  southerly  from  the  southerly  line  of  Fifty- 
fourth  Street.  The  strip  of  land  on  the  westerly  side  of 
said  lot  fronting  on  Fifty-fourth  Street  is  given  to  my  said 
daughter  Eliza  O.,  for  the  purpose  of  aifording  her  a  rear 
entrance  from  Fifty-fourth  Street  to  her  house,  and  the 
easterly  line  of  said  entrance  may  be  shaj^ed  in  such  man- 
ner as  shall  be  or  have  been  devised  by  the  architect  in 
charge  of  the  erection  of  said  two  houses,  biit  keeping  as 
nearly  as  possible  within  the  dimensions  herein  before  jare- 
scribed. 


APPENDIX   G.  301 

SixtJi. — Should  the  dwelling-houses  now  being  erected 
for  my  daughters — Florence  Adele  and  Eliza  O. — upon  the 
two  lots  of  land  devised  to  them  not  be  tinislied  at  the 
time  of  my  decease  I  direct  that  they  be  completed  as  soou 
as  practicable  thereafter  at  the  expense  of  my  estate. 

Serenfh. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  trustees  herein- 
after appointed  $25,000,000  of  bonds  of  the  United  States 
of  America  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent,  per 
annum,  the  principal  falling  due  iu  the  year  1907  ;  $5,000,000 
of  second  mortgage  bonds  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  Railway  Company,  due  in  the  year  1903,  bear- 
ing interest  at  the  rate  of  seven  per  cent,  per  annum ; 
$800,000  of  the  first  mortgage  bonds  of  the  last  named 
company,  due  in  the  year  1900,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate 
of  seven  per  cent,  per  annum  ;  $2,000,000  of  the  sinking 
fund  bonds  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railway  Com- 
pany, due  in  the  year  1929,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of 
six  per  cent,  per  annum  ;  $2,000,000  of  the  sinking  fund 
bonds  of  the  last  named  company,  due  iu  the  year  1929, 
bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  per  annum  ; 
$200,000  of  the  general  consolidated  sinking  fund  bonds 
of  the  last  named  company,  due  iu  the  year  1915,  bearing 
interest  at  the  rate  of  seven  per  cent.  ]3er  annum  ;  $-4,- 
000,000  of  the  mortgage  bonds  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad  Compau}',  due  iu  the  year  1903,  bearing  intei-est 
at  the  rate  of  seven  per  cent,  i^ev  annum,  and  $1,000,000  of 
the  mortgage  bonds  of  the  New  Yoi'k  and  Harlem  Railroad 
Company,  due  in  the  year  1900,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate 
of  seven  percent,  per  annum,  making  in  the  aggregate  $10,- 
000,000  (forty  million  dollars)  of  the  above-named  securities 
at  par  in  trust,  to  divide  the  same  into  eight  (8)  equal  par- 
cels of  five  (5)  million  dollars  each,  and  each  of  said  parcels 
to  contain  an  equal  amount  of  each  of  the  above  specified 
kinds  of  bonds  ;  to  set  apart  and  hold  one  of  said  parcels 
in  trust  for  each  of  my  four  sons,  Cornelius,  William  K., 
Frederick  W.  and  George  W.  Vanderbilt,  and  one  of  said 
parcels  in  trust  for  each  of  my  f(3ur  daughters  hereinbefore 
named,  and  to  collect  and  receive  the  income  of  each  of 
said  eight  trust-funds,  and  pay  the  same  over  as  it  accrues 
and  is  collected  to  the  beneficiary  for  whom  it  is  set  apart 
during  the  natural  life  of  such  beneficiary,  and  I  direct  that 


302  APPENDIX   G. 

no  payment  be  made  in  anticipation  of  such  income,  and 
that  no  part  of  the  principal  of  either  of  said  trust  fimds 
be  paid  over  or  ahenated  or  transferred  during  the  hfetime 
of  the  child  entitled  to  the  income  thereof,  and  upon  the 
death  of  each  of  my  said  children  I  direct  that  the  principal 
of  the  fund  so  set  apart  and  held  in  trust  for  him  or  her  be 
paid  to  his  or  her  lawful  issue  in  such  shares  or  proportions 
as  he  or  she  may  b}'  last  will  have  directed  or  appointed, 
and  in  default  of  such  testamentary  direction  I  direct  that 
such  fund  be  divided  among  his  or  her  lawful  issue  in  the 
proportions  in  Avliich  they  would  be  by  law  entitled  thereto 
had  my  child,  so  dying,  died  possessed  thereof  his  or  her 
absolute  ownership. 

In  case  either  of  my  sous  should  leave  no  lawful  issue 
him  surviving  I  direct  that  the  fund  so  held  in  trust  for  him 
be  divided  among  his  brothers  him  surviving,  and  the  issue 
of  any  of  his  brothers  who  may  have  died  before  him,  such 
issue  to  take  the  share  which  the  brother  so  d^'ing  Avould 
have  taken  if  living.  And  should  either  of  my  said  daugh- 
ters leave  no  lawful  issue  her  surviving  I  direct  that  the 
fund  so  held  in  trust  for  her  be  divided  among  her  sisters 
living  at  the  time  of  her  death,  or  should  any  of  her  sisters 
have  died  before  her  leaving  issue,  such  issue  shall  take  the 
share  which  such  deceased  sister  would  have  taken  if  living. 

Eiglith. — I  authorize  thetriistees  of  the  said  several  trust- 
funds  to  receive  and  reinvest  the  proceeds  of  the  bonds  so 
given  to  them  in  trust  as  they  mature,  and  also  in  their  dis- 
cretion to  change  from  time  to  time  the  investments  of 
said  trust  funds,  but  I  direct  that  they  do  at  all  times  keep 
the  said  principal  of  the  said  several  trust-funds  securely  in- 
vested during  the  continuance  of  said  trusts  respectively  in 
bonds  of  the  United  States  of  America  or  of  the  State  or 
City  of  New  York,  or  in  mortgage  bonds  of  the  New  York 
Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company,  the  New 
York  and  Havlem  Railroad  Company,  the  Lake  Shore  and 
Michigan  Southern  Railway  Company,  or  the  Chicago  and 
Northwestern  Railway  Company,  or  bonds  guaranteed  by  it 
or  someone  or  more  of  said  sjiecitied  securities.  They  may 
change  such  investments  from  time  to  time  and  may  also 
invest  on  bond  and  mortgage  on  inieni'umbered  real  estate 
iu  the  State  of  New  York,  and  they  may  apply  to  the  rein- 


APPENDIX   G.  303 

vestments  of  the  principal  of  said  trust-funds,  or  cither  of 
them,  any  of  the  securities  of  the  classes  above  specitied 
which  I  may  have  on  hand  at  the  time  of  my  decease  at 
tlieir  market  vahie  at  the  time  of  such  apphcation. 

And  I  direct  that  all  securities  in  which  such  trust-funds 
shall  from  time  to  time  be  invested  be  taken  and  held  by 
said  trustees  in  their  names  as  trustees  for  the  parties  re- 
spectively for  whose  benefit  the  funds  are  separately  set 
apart  and  held,  so  that  each  of  said  eight  trust-funds  shall 
be  kept  separate  and  distinct  from  the  others,  and  the  ac- 
counts thereof  shall  be  separately  kept. 

Should  I  not  have  on  hand  at  the  date  of  my  decease  a 
sufficient  amount  of  each  of  the  descriptions  of  bonds  here- 
inbefore specified  to  make  up  the  amounts  in  the  seventh 
clause  bequeathed  in  trust,  I  direct  that  the  deficienc}'  be 
supplied  with  bonds  of  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad 
Company  at  pxr  or  any  other  bonds  I  may  leave. 

Ninth. — I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  four  sons  and  my 
four  daughters  hereinbefore  named,  to  be  equallv  divided 
between  them,  $10,000,000  of  bonds  of  the  United  States 
of  America  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent,  per 
annum,  the  principal  falling  due  in  1907  ;  §920,000  of  the 
bontls  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Company,  paj'a- 
ble  in  the  year  1903,  and  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of 
seven  per  cent,  per  annum  ;  180,000  of  the  mortgage  bonds 
of  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  Company',  payable 
in  the  year  1900,  and  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  seven 
per  cent,  per  annum  ;  $1,000, 000  of  the  bonds  of  the  Detroit 
and  Ba}"  City  Riilroad  Company,  payable  in  the  year  1931, 
and  beai'ing  interest  at  the  rate  of  livejDer  cent,  per  annum  ; 
83,000,000  of  the  second  mortgage  bonds  of  the  Lake  Shore 
and  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  payable  in  the 
year  1903,  and  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  seven  per  cent, 
per  annum  ;  83,000,000  of  the  mortgage  bonds  of  the  Pine 
Creek  Railroad  Company,  payable  in  the  year  1932,  and 
bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent,  per  annum  ; 
§2,000,000  of  the  mortgage  bonds  of  the  Pittsburg,  McKees- 
port  and  Youghiogheny  Railroad  Company,  payable  in  the 
year  1932,  and  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  seven  per 
cent,  per  annum  ;  $2,000,000  of  the  guaranteed  stock  of 
the  last  named  company,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  six 


304  APPENDIX   G. 

per  cent,  per  annum  ;  $2,000,000  of  the  debenture  bonds 
of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Eailwaj'  Compan}-,  paya- 
ble in  the  year  1933,  and  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  five 
per  cent,  per  annum  ;  $2,000,000  of  the  bonds  of  the  Dakota 
Central  Railroad  Company,  payable  in  the  year  1907,  bear- 
ing interest  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent,  per  annum,  and  guar- 
anteed by  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Eailwaj'  Company  ; 
40,000  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of  the  New  York  Central 
and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company,  30,000  shares  of  the 
capital  preferred  stock  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern 
Riilway  Company,  50,000  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of  the 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  Railway  Company,  and 
20,000  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  Company,  making  in  the  aggregate  $40,000,000  of 
securities  at  par,  to  be  divided  among  my  before-named 
eight  children  in  such  manner  that  an  equal  amount,  as 
nearly  as  may  be,  of  each  kind  of  security  shall  be  allotted 
to  each  child. 

Should  I  not  have  on  hand  at  the  time  of  my  decease  a 
sufficient  amount  of  bonds  and  stocks  of  all  the  descrip- 
tions above  named,  after  providing  the  trust-funds  created 
in  the  seventh  clause  of  this  will,  to  make  up  the  amounts 
in  this  ninth  clause  bequeathed,  I  direct  that  the  deficiency 
be  made  up  with  cash  to  the  amount  of  the  bonds  or  stock 
which  may  be  deficient  at  par. 

Tenth. — I  having  transferred  on  the  books  of  the  Chicago 
and  Northwestern  Railway  Company  to  each  of  my  three 
daughters,  Margaret  Louisa,  Emil}'  Thorn  and  Florence 
Adele,  4,000  shares  of  the  preferred  stock  of  said  company, 
but  I  holding  the  certificates  of  said  shares  with  powers  to 
transfer  the  same  executed  b}^  my  said  daughters  respec- 
tively, I  hereby  declare  that  the  foregoing  bequests  to  ray 
said  daughters  are  to  be  in  place  of  said  shares,  and  that 
said  shares  are  to  be  part  of  my  I'esiduary  estate. 

Eleventh. — I  direct  that  the  bonds  and  the  stocks  in  the 
ninth  clause  of  this  will  bequeathed  to  my  daughter  Eliza 
O.  be  not  delivered  to  her  or  placed  under  her  control  until 
she  attains  the  age  of  thirty  years,  but  that  they  be  set 
apart  and  held  for  her  by  my  executors  in  the  meantime  ; 
that  the  interest  accruing  thereon  be  collected  by  them  and 
paid  over  to  her  as  it  is  received  until  said  bonds  and  stocks 


APPENDIX   G.  305 

are  delivered  to  her  ;  but  it  is  my  will  that  if  my  said 
daughter  Eliza  O.  should  die  before  attaining  the  age  of 
thirty  years,  leaving  children  her  surviving,  the  said  bonds 
and  stocks  shall  be  divided  among  such  children  in  such 
proportion  as  she  may  by  will  direct,  or  if  she  should  leave 
no  will,  then  in  equal  shares.  Should  she  leave  but  one 
child,  that  child  is  to  take  the  whole.  And  in  case  she 
should  die  before  attaining  the  age  of  thirty  years  and 
should  leave  no  child  her  surviving,  the  property  be- 
queathed to  her  in  said  ninth  clause  shall  revert  to  my  es- 
tate. 

Twelfth. — I  direct  that  the  interest  and  dividends  on  the 
several  bonds  and  stocks  bequeathed  in  the  seventh  and 
ninth  clauses  of  this  will  be  apportioned  up  to  the  date  of 
my  decease,  and  that  so  much  thereof  as  shall  have  accrued 
after  that  date  shall  belong  to  the  legatees. 

Tliirteenth. — I  bequeath  unto  my  son,  Cornelius  Vander- 
bilt,  the  sum  of  $2,000,000  in  addition  to  all  other  bequests 
to  him  in  this  will  contained. 

Fourteenth. — Upon  the  decease  of  my  wife  I  devise  to  my 
son,  Geoi-ge  W.  Vanderbilt,  for  and  during  his  natural  life, 
the  hereinbefore  described  lot  of  land  and  house  on  the 
northwesterly  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifty-first  Street, 
where  I  now  reside,  and  the  lots  and  stables  on  Madison 
Avenue  and  Fifty-second  Street,  being  the  same  properties 
in  the  first  clause  of  this  my  will  devised  to  my  wife  for 
life.  I  also  bequeath  to  my  said  son,  George  W.,  for  and 
during  his  natural  life,  all  my  pictures,  statuary,  and  works 
of  art,  except  the  portrait  and  marble  bust  of  my  father, 
which  I  bequeath  to  my  son  Cornelius.  I  also  bequeath  to 
my  son  George  W.  all  the  furniture,  carriages,  and  other 
chattels  mentioned  in  the  first  clause  of  this  my  will  for 
and  dui'iug  his  natural  life  ;  and  after  the  decease  of  my  wife 
and  of  my  son  George  W.,  if  he  shall  leave  any  son  or  sons 
him  sui'viving,  I  give,  devise,  and  bequeath  absokitely  and 
in  fee  the  said  house  and  lot  on  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifts'-first 
Street,  and  said  lots  and  stables  on  Madison  Avenue  and 
Fifty-second  Street,  and  all  the  pictures,  statuary,  furniture, 
and  all  the  property  of  every  description  which  is  in  the 
first  clause  of  this  my  will  devised  and  bequeathed  to  my 
wife  for  life,  unto  such  one  of  the  sons  of  said  George  W. 


306  APPENDIX   G. 

as  he  shall  by  his  last  will  direct  and  appoint  to  take  the 
same.  And  in  default  of  such  testamentary  direction,  then 
the  eldest  son  of  said  George  "W.  who  shall  survive  him. 

And  in  case  the  said  George  W.  shall  leave  no  son  him 
surviving,  then  on  his  decease  and  after  the  death  of  my 
wife',  I  give,  devise,  and  bequeath  all  and  singular  the  said 
real  and  personal  property  so  given  to  George  W.  for  hfe, 
unto  my  grandson  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  son  of  my  son 
Cornelius,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  and  in  the  event 
last  mentioned  I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said  grand- 
son, Wilham  H.,  $2,000,000.  But,  without  regard  to  the 
event  of  my  son  George  W.  dying  as  aforesaid,  I  bequeath 
to  my  said  grandson,  William  H.,  $1,000,000,  to  be  paid  on 
his  attaining  the  age  of  thirty  years  :  in  the  meantime  the 
income  thereof  shall  be  applied  to  his  use  by  my  executors 
during  his  minority,  and  thereafter  shall  be  paid  to  him  at 
such  times  and  in  such  amounts  as  his  father,  if  living,  shaU 
approve,  until  he  becomes  entitled  to  the  princijaal.  And 
in  case  the  said  William  H.  becomes  entitled  to  the  said 
legacy  of  $2,000,000,  tlie  $1,000,000  last  given  shall  be 
deemed  part  thereof. 

In  case  my  son  George  W.  shall  die  without  leaving  any 
son  him  surviving,  if  said  William  H.  is  not  then  living,  the 
real  and  personal  estate  so  given  to. said  George  W.  for  life 
shall  after  his  death  and  that  of  my  wife  go,  and  I  devise 
and  bequeath  the  same,  to  my  grandson  Cornelius,  in  fee, 
and  in  that  event  I  give  to  my  last-named  grandson 
$1,000,000,  my  object  being  that  my  present  residence  and 
my  collection  of  works  of  art  be  retained  and  maintained  by 
a  male  descendant  bearing  the  name  of  Vanderbilt. 

Fifteentli. — I  direct  that  no  deductions  shall  be  made  from 
any  of  the  legacies  to  my  children  by  reason  of  any  sums 
which  I  have  heretofore  given,  or  advanced  to,  or  for  ac- 
count of  either  of  them. 

Sixteenth. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  William  Vanderbilt 
Kissam,  son  of  Peter  R  Ivissam,  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn, 
and  nephew  of  my  wife,  the  sum  of  $30,000,  to  be  paid  to 
him  when  he  attains  the  age  of  twenty-five  yeai's,  provided 
his  father  and  my  son  Cornelius,  or  the  survivor  of  them, 
shall  in  their  or  his  discretion  approve  in  writing  of  such 
pivyment  at  that  time  ;  otherwise  at  such  later  period   as 


APPENDIX    G.  307 

they  or  the  survivor  of  them  shall  approve,  and  I  direct  that 
interest  on  said  legacy  be  paid  to  said  William  Y.  Kissani 
from  the  time  of  my  decease  until  he  shall  receive  the  prin- 
cipal. 

Seventeenth. — I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  uncle,  Jacob  H. 
Yanderbilt,  the  dividends  which  shall  accrue  during  liis  life 
on  1,000  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral and  Hudson  River  Kailroad  Connmny,  now  standing  in 
his  name  on  the  books  of  said  company  but  owned  by  me, 
I  holding  the  certificates  with  power.  I  also  give  to  each 
of  the  children  of  my  said  uncle — viz.,  Mrs.  Ellen  Caesar, 
Jacob  H.  Yanderbilt,  Jr.,  and  Mrs.  James  McNamee — the 
sum  of  S2,000  per  annum  to  each  during  their  respective 
natural  lives. 

Eighteenth. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs.  Annie  Reid, 
wife  of  J.  E.  Reid  ;  to  jNIi-s.  EunuaDe  Forest,  wife  of  Frank 
A.  Howland  and  daughter  of  the  late  Daniel  C.  Yan  Duzer, 
of  Stateu  Island  ;  to  my  aunt,  Miss  Phcebe  Yanderbilt  ;  to 
Sophia  White,  daughter  of  Andrew  Ainslie  ;  to  Jeremiah 
Simonson  ;  to  Anna  Root,  wife  of  George  M.  Root ;  to  Miss 
Emma  Simonson,  daughterof  Cornelius  Simonson,  deceased, 
and  to  Miss  Charlotte  Dustan,  an  annuity  of  $2,000  per  an- 
num to  each.  To  Mrs.  Edith  Dustan,  wife  of  Charles  Dus- 
taU;  who  resides  at  Demopolis,  in  the  State  of  Alabama, 
an  annuity  of  $2,500  per  annum  ;  to  Mrs.  Georgiana  Hitch- 
cock ,  Mrs.  Emily  Y.  Snedeker,  wife  of  Livingston  Snedeker, 
and  to  ]Mi's.  Catharine  McGregor,  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
an  annuity  of  §1,200  per  annum  to  each  ;  all  the  said  an- 
nuities to  be  computed  from  the  day  of  my  decease,  and  to 
be  paid  quarterly'  thereafter  to  the  several  annuitants  dur- 
ing their  respective  natural  lives. 

Nineteenth. — -I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mr.  E.  Y.  W.  Rossiter 
the  sum  of  $10,000,  and  to  Lambert  Wardell  the  sum  of 
$10,000. 

Twentieth. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  Board  of  Tnist 
of  the  Yanderbilt  University,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  incorpo- 
rated under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  8200,000  of 
the  second  mortgage  bonds  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  jMichi- 
gan  Southern  Railway  Company,  to  be  applied  to  the  uses 
and  purposes  of  said  University. 

Twentif-Jir^t. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  following  named 


308  APPEISTDIX   G. 

societies  and  incorporated  bodies,  organized  under  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  the  sums  hereinafter  specified, 
viz  : 

To  the  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  $100,000  for  domestic  pui'poses. 

To  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  incorporated  in  the  year  1850, 
$100,000. 

To  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  $100,000. 

To  the  General  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  City  of  New  York,  $50,000. 

To  the  New  York  Bible  and  Common  Prayer-Book  So- 
ciet}^,  whereof  the  Bishop  is  president,  $50,000. 

To  the  Home  for  Licurables,  incorporated  in  1845, 
$50,000. 

To  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  Missionary  Society 
for  Seamen  in  the  City  and  Port  of  New  York,  $50,000. 

To  the  New  York  Christian  Home  for  Intemperate  Men, 
$50,000. 

To  the  New  York  Protestant  Episcopal  Mission  Society 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  $100,000. 

To  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  incorporated  April 
13,  1870,  $100,000. 

To  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  $50,000. 

To  the  Moravian  Church  in  New  Dorp  Lane,  Staten  Isl- 
and, organized  under  the  name  of  the  "  United  Breth- 
ren's Church,"  $100,000. 

Twenty -second. — All  the  rest,  residue  and  remainder  of  all 
the  property  and  estate,  real,  personal,  and  mixed,  of  every 
description  and  wheresoever  situated,  of  which  I  may  be 
seized  or  possessed,  or  to  which  I  may  be  entitled  at  the 
time  of  my  decease,  I  give,  devise,  and  bequeath  unto  my 
two  sons,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  and  William  K.  Vauderbilt, 
in  equal  shares,  and  to  their  heirs  and  assigns  to  their  use 
forever. 

Tireutij-ihird. — I  constitute  and  appoint  my  wife,  Maria 
Louisa,  and  my  sons,  Cornelius,  William  K.,  Frederick  W., 
and  George  W.,  and  the  survivors  and  survivor  of  them, 
executrix  and  executox's  of  this  my  will,  and  trustees  of  the 


APPENDIX  G.  309 

several  trust-funds  hereinbefore  mentioned  and  created  ; 
provided,  however — and  tliis  appointment  is  subject  to  this 
exception — that  neither  of  my  said  sons  shall  be  trustee 
of  the  fund  hereinbefore  directed  to  be  set  apart  and  held 
in  trust  for  him  or  for  his  benefit ;  but  as  to  such  fund,  in 
the  case  of  each  of  my  said  sons,  the  trust  shall  rest  in  and 
be  executed  by  the  others  of  the  trustees  hereinbefore 
named  and  the  survivors  or  survivor  of  them.  And  pro- 
vided further,  and  the  said  appointments  of  executrix,  ex- 
ecutors and  trustees  are  subject  to  the  further  condition 
that  no  commissions  or  compensation  shall  be  charged  by 
or  allowed  to  either  of  them  for  their  services  as  executrix, 
executor  or  trustee,  and  if  either  of  them  shall  decline  to 
serve  on  that  condition  his  or  her  api:)ointment  as  such  ex- 
ecutrix, executor  or  trustee  shall  cease  and  terminate. 

And  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  against  the  contingency 
of  any  unsuitable  person  being  appointed  trustee  of  any  or 
either  of  the  trust-funds  hereinbefore  created,  I  direct  as  to 
each  of  said  trust-funds  that,  in  case  of  the  death,  disability, 
or  resignation  of  any  of  the  trustees  hereinbefore  appointed, 
the  trust  shall  rest  in  and  be  executed  by  the  others  of  those 
whom  I  have  named,  and  iipon  the  death  of  the  last  sur- 
vivor of  the  acting  trustees  during  the  continuance  of  the 
trust  the  trust  shall  cease,  and  the  entire  trust-fund  shall  be 
paid  to  the  beneficiary  entitled  to  the  income. 

Twenty-fourth. — Should  any  or  either  of  the  provisions 
or  directions  of  this  will  fail,  or  be  held  ineffectual  or  in- 
valid for  any  reason,  it  is  my  will  that  no  other  portion  or 
provision  of  this  will  be  invalidated,  impaired,  or  aifected 
thereby,  but  that  this  will  be  construed  as  if  such  invalid 
provision  or  direction  had  not  been  herein  contained. 

Lastly. — I  hereby  revoke  all  former  wills  and  codicils  by 
me  at  any  time  made. 

In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal 
at  the  City  of  New  York,  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  September, 
in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-four. 

W.   H.  V-AXDERBILT. 

Signed,  sealed,  published,  and  declared  by  William  H. 
Yanderbilt,  the  testator,  as  and  for  his  last  will  and  testament, 
in  the  presence  of  us,  who  at  his  request  and  in  his  pres- 


310  APPENDIX   G. 

ence,  and  in  the  presence  of  each  other,  have  hereunto  sub- 
scribed our  names  as  witnesses. 

The  words  "  or  bonds  guaranteed  by  it "  interlined  on 
the  twenty-first  page. 

Charles  A.  Eapallo, 
17  West  Thirty-first  Street,  New  York. 

Samuel  F.  Bakgek, 
17  West  Thirty-thii-d  Street,  New  York  City. 
C.  C.  Clarke,  Sing  Sing,  N.  Y. 
I.  P.  Chambers, 
26  East  Forty-ninth  Street,  New  York  City, 


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GENERAL  LIBRARY  -  U.C.  BERKELEY 


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